Menstrual products like tampons and pads will now be available to women in Scotland for free.
On August 15, the law that makes access to menstrual products a right for women in public spaces came into force in the European country which is part of the United Kingdom.
The period products bill was passed into law unanimously by Scottish lawmakers in November 2020.
The development makes Scotland the first country in the world to offer tampons, sanitary pads, and other menstrual products free of charge.
Its enforcement, it is believed, represents a landmark victory for the global movement against period poverty.
The new law means period products will be available to access in public buildings like schools and universities in Scotland.
Under the law, the Scottish government must set up a scheme to allow anyone who needs period products to get them free of charge.
Schools, colleges, and universities must make a range of period products available for free in their toilets.
The Scottish government will have the power to make other public bodies provide period products for free.
The law is the brainchild of Monica Lennon, a Scottish Labour lawmaker, who introduced its bill in April 2019.
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“Proud of what we have achieved in Scotland. We are the first but won’t be the last,” Lennon tweeted on Monday.
Lennon said it was reasonable to expect 20 percent of the menstruating population to make use of the programme.
She said official inequality statistics show that nearly 20 percent of women in Scotland live in relative poverty.
In 2018, the Scottish government announced that students in schools, colleges, and universities across the country would be able to access sanitary products for free, through a £5.2 million ($6.3 million) investment.
In 2019, it allocated another £4 million ($4.85 million) to make period products available without charge in libraries and recreational centers.