Only São Paulo, Curitiba and the DF have a wide distribution of sanitary pads for the homeless population

The veto by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), in October 2021, of the bill that provided for the free distribution of sanitary pads sparked an alert for the city halls of the main capitals of the country regarding the free distribution of these items.

However, only two capitals, São Paulo and Curitiba, in addition to the Federal District, carry out the distribution of menstrual hygiene items to the homeless population in a broad way.

This means that the supply of sanitary pads is not restricted to social assistance units. In these places, there is also provision through the social approach teams and the Consultório na Rua program (in the case of the Federal District and São Paulo).

The rest of the capitals carry out the distribution only in reception centers or else they do not even have policies related to the problem of menstrual poverty. There are still three capitals, Boa Vista, Natal and Porto Velho, which have an approved project, but which is not yet in effect.

The data were collected by sheet through information obtained from the city halls of the capitals and the government of the Federal District.

The proposition vetoed by Bolsonaro, however, was broader than the one carried out today in the cities: it included the free distribution of sanitary pads to low-income students enrolled in public schools, homeless women, in extreme vulnerability, prisoners, apprehended and fulfilling educational measures.

Social workers, doctors and homeless people report that, in addition to lack of access to hygiene items, menstrual poverty is exacerbated by lack of access to baths and underwear.

Giovanna Almeida Novaes, 21, lived under the Antônio de Paiva Monteiro viaduct, in the east of São Paulo, until early February. Since then, she and ten other families have moved to a nearby squat.

In addition to comfort, one of the main reasons for the change was the lack of access to water. “It was very difficult for us, when it rained, everything got wet”, he recalls.

Without a bathroom, they used buckets or bags. “As the viaduct is in front of a gas station, it’s embarrassing to pass with the bucket. We’d wait a little while or else we’d play [o conteúdo do balde] early in the morning or later in the evening.”

Social worker Fernanda Almeida, who works at Caps (Center for Psychosocial Care), analyzes that the condition of people who menstruate and live on the street requires the availability of public restrooms and access to water.

Almeida also reinforces that the issue of sanitary pads needs to occupy a greater space in the field of public health. “It may be that the person receives the tampon, but often has nowhere to change it, or even doesn’t have clean underwear”, she says, comparing that the woman who lives on the street often has the same sanitary condition as someone from the 19th century.

There are, however, those who disagree with the comparison. Marta Marques, a social worker who works in the Consultório na Rua program, says that the situation of those who menstruate and live on the streets of São Paulo improved when the city started delivering sanitary towels in November 2021.

It is estimated that, from this action, the municipality will be responsible for 5,109 women living on the streets – the number is based on the census published in early 2022. “Today we miss hygiene kits [com itens como sabonete e xampu]but we received many absorbents”, says Marques.

Even among the capitals that have a program capable of providing sanitary pads to those in need, as in the capital of São Paulo, there are reports, however, of people who still depend on donations.

On the streets and in occupations in the city of São Paulo, people who menstruate report not knowing the distribution carried out by the city hall. They depend on the delivery of social projects and say that, when this help is lacking, they resort to scraps of clothing, toilet paper, newspaper and even cardboard.

​Nubia Renata Martins, 43, lives in a squat downtown. She says that she cannot guarantee sanitary pads every month: even when she gets a donation, the package is not enough for her entire cycle. That’s why she uses old rags and t-shirts.

“When we need it, we have to use it, there’s nothing to do. I wash a white shirt with Candida because we’re women and we have to take care of ourselves”, she says.

Marcela Fernandes, 38, lives in a makeshift tent in front of Pátio do Colégio, in downtown São Paulo, with two of her nine children. She had secured a place for her family in a hostel, but when her husband drank too much, they were kicked out.

To wash and change, she uses the Sé bathroom. Because you have a heavy menstrual flow, it is not uncommon to need to wear diapers to contain the blood.

“It’s not always that I get donations and they [prefeitura] they don’t help with anything”, she says. Fernandes says that she got hygiene items through WhatsApp groups, but, as her cell phone was stolen, she has faced even more difficulty.

Sought, the city did not explain whether the project has any obstacles for these people to have access to absorbents. The municipal administration states that “the teams of the Consultório na Rua work in specific areas identified as being of greater social vulnerability”. “Delivery occurs mainly in drug use scenes, reception centers and points in free areas”, he also says.

Apart from distribution by the city hall, donations occur mainly through initiatives such as Fluxo Sem Tabu and Projeto Absorber. During deliveries, volunteers approach homeless people and see the scenes repeat themselves: according to them, everyone wants the kit — even children ask to take it to their mothers and sisters. In general, each set has items such as disposable pads, panties, soap and baby wipes.

In addition to disposable absorbents, there are those who believe that distributing materials such as menstrual cups (small silicone cups that are used inside the vagina) or even absorbent panties and panties (made of special fabric, which prevents leakage) would be a solution, since it would only be necessary for each person to receive the input once.

However, gynecologist Mariana Barroso, who works at the head of the Women Without Fear project, led by the NGO Doctors of the World, believes that these other methods would not be adequate.

“The menstrual cup and absorbent panties do not work because most do not have access to cleaning to sanitize these materials. The collector, for example, would work if they had a way to boil and wash”, he says.

For sociologist and anthropologist Fraya Frehse, professor at FFLCH-USP (Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences at the University of São Paulo), the country’s political moment does not contribute to the elaboration and execution of policies such as the distribution of sanitary pads.

“This phenomenon signals for sex education, so that we can know how to do it. Sex education, for example, could teach why women bleed and, for us to make an access policy”, he says.

Among other measures, the Bolsonaro government is opposed to policies that encourage sex education for young people and adolescents. The president even suggested that parents tear pages about sex education from the “Adolescent Health Handbook”, issued by the Ministry of Health during the Lula government.