2023-07-05 20:03:24
The canton of Friborg plays a pioneering role with the provision of free access to hygienic protection in schools as well as in public and sports institutions. The measure will take effect at the beginning of next year.
Free access to hygienic protection will take place throughout the canton in no less than 73 public buildings, representatives of the State of Friborg and the City of Friborg told the press on Wednesday. The distribution decided by the Council of State follows a postulate submitted by two deputies.
The text asked to study the possibility of offering free hygienic protection in training places and public and sports institutions. A feasibility study was then carried out under the aegis of a Steering Committee chaired by the Social Action Department (SASoc) and bringing together several entities.
Especially for those on the edge of poverty
The study report identifies the terms of implementation, ie the number of sites concerned, the cost and the equipment required. It provides for a communication strategy as well as a strengthening of preventive measures, said the speakers, including Philippe Demierre, the State Councilor in charge of health and social affairs.
Young girls and women living on the edge of poverty are particularly targeted by the Friborg offer. Indeed, finding alternatives to the purchase of sanitary protection can harm their health. Prolonged or improper use, even home-made, can cause health problems.
Questioned in the 7:30 p.m., Philippe Demierre specifies that approximately one in ten women has money problems in the canton of Fribourg. But he adds that the measure is intended to be broader and is aimed at all Friborg women.
The age of first menstruation tends to decrease over time. This is why the Council of State recommends making protections available to the public from 10-11 years old, i.e. for compulsory school from 7 a.m. Awareness of compulsory schooling will also be deployed to reduce the existing taboo on the subject of menstruation.
For repairs but not only
For public buildings, sanitary protection is freely available to enable young girls and women to stock up, either on an ad hoc basis for repairs, or more sustainably for women in precarious situations, without discrimination.
Fifty-nine public buildings involving the installation of a single fixed distributor and 14 buildings requiring the installation of several fixed distributors are concerned in the canton. For the initial deployment, the budget provides for a total amount of 70,200 francs the first year, then 36,200 francs from the second.
The sum includes costs for outreach and communication. The project contributes to the achievement of the targets of the sustainable development strategy of the State of Fribourg. It is also part of the cantonal strategy for sexual health which will be presented on Monday.
In Friborg from the start of the school year
In addition to Philippe Demierre, the municipal councilor of Friborg Mirjam Ballmer was among the speakers at the press conference. The municipal executive had for its part responded favorably to a postulate and initiated from June 20, 2022 a test phase in the ladies’ toilets of three of its municipal buildings.
The four-month trial allowed users’ opinions and complaints to be collected, the volume of sanitary protection made available to be adjusted and an operational budget to be estimated. The deployment of the system in the cantonal capital is planned for the start of the next school year at the end of August.
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