The day I couldn't buy sanitary napkins March 19th 19:18
"I never dreamed. Using sanitary napkins was as commonplace as eating rice, but sometimes I couldn't buy it. And it lasted so long." From
May last year. Sakura says she can no longer buy commercial sanitary napkins.
What happened to the ordinary 19-year-old?
(Rin Ichino, Director, International Program Department, News Bureau)
I can't earn even if I have a part-time job
Sakura (a pseudonym, 19 years old) attends a vocational school in Kanagawa prefecture.
I live with my father, but I haven't been able to get along with each other since I was a child, and since I became a high school student, I have been split between utilities and rent.
Until now, I worked part-time at a restaurant and earned about 130,000 yen a month, and I covered most of my living expenses myself.
It was last spring just after I entered a vocational school that I managed to lose the balance I had maintained.
Due to the influence of the new Corona, I could hardly enter the shift of restaurants where I was working, and my income dropped sharply.
In a hurry, I started to work part-time at a long-term care facility, but the number of users of the facility decreased due to the spread of infection.
After all, the days when I could only shift two or three times a month continued, and last month's income was less than 20,000 yen.
Sakura, who ran out of savings due to admission to a vocational school and had almost no money on hand.
I use the scholarship I borrowed to pay my tuition for my living expenses.
Even so, I will do my best to secure food expenses in addition to rent, utilities, commuter pass, and teaching materials.
I canceled my mobile phone and communicated with my friends and part-time workers using the free public wireless LAN, but I couldn't save any more.
National support measures do not reach
The government has come up with various support measures for those who have lost their income due to the new corona and for students who have difficulty paying tuition fees.
But none of them have arrived at Sakura-san.
The flat rate of 100,000 yen per person was received by the father, who is the head of the household, but he was not able to share it.
I abandoned the application for student support benefits because I live with my father, and I could not get the father's understanding of the application for emergency small-lot funds and comprehensive support funds.
Sakura:
"I'm also working, so I'm giving up on my father's request for rent and living expenses. I can't make a contract to rent a room by myself, and I can't do anything if I'm kicked out of my house. Now I have to obey what my parents say. "
Meals or sanitary napkins ... the ultimate choice
In May of last year, when I was cutting my life, I ran out of stock of sanitary napkins.
As usual, Sakura went to the pharmacy and thought about it in front of the sanitary napkin department.
"One pack costs 300 yen or 500 yen, but I thought that if I had this 500 yen, I would be able to eat a day. Moreover, one type of sanitary napkin is not something that can be managed, and the amount of menstrual blood. Depending on the type, you have to use different types, and if you pile up, it's an expense that won't be stupid. First of all, you have to eat yourself and you want to continue school anyway, so I thought that you wouldn't have the money to spend on sanitary napkins. "
Sakura has a heavy period, and the amount of menstrual blood is so high that she has to change napkins and tampons once an hour, which can last for 5 to 6 days.
I started to think that sanitary napkins, which disappear soon after I bought them, are luxury items.
Substitute toilet paper Days of anxiety and tension
How to deal with it without using commercially available sanitary napkins.
Sakura has been doing trial and error by herself for the past year.
At first, I only folded the toilet paper, but since it is easy to slip and menstrual blood leaks, I wrap it tightly and use it like a tampon or cut a thick cloth and apply it.
Sakura:
"I'm always nervous because I don't know when menstrual blood will leak. I'm most afraid of getting sick by substituting something other than sanitary napkins. I'm worried about it because I put it in. "
It's not just inconvenient.
He says that every time he replaces it, he feels disgusted and feels depressed.
"Unlike a tampon with a string, if you make it yourself, you can't remove it unless you put your finger in it. Naturally, your hands will get dirty after you put it out. People with blood in the public toilet It's embarrassing to have to wash my hands where you can see them, and I feel very close. "
In recent years, not only disposable napkins and tampons, but also cloth napkins and menstrual cups that can be washed and used many times have been put on the market one after another.
It may be economical in the long run, but it is out of reach for Sakura, who has no money at hand.
"Since cloth napkins and the like cost thousands of yen, the initial investment is too high ... You might have thought if you were earning a part-time job, but I'm desperate to survive now, so I can't afford to buy it. I don't know if it fits, so I'll try my best by substituting what I have at home. "
I can't go out ...
Originally, Sakura is active and loves sports.
However, during my period, I tried not to go out and stayed at home.
"Even if I want to go to the library to study with my friends, I don't care when it leaks, so I can't go out easily. Even at home, I fold a bath towel and sit on it, and how I can wash it. I'm spending my time thinking about whether I can keep it dirty. "
"I wonder if I'm eating rice" Father who doesn't understand
Although she lives with her father, Sakura says that she is financially independent and does not interfere with each other.
When I went to high school or vocational school, when my period was too heavy and I couldn't move, I couldn't always talk to my father and survived alone.
But this time around, nothing can be done.
I decided to talk about the fact that my income has dropped so much that I can't even buy sanitary napkins.
However, I was disappointed with the words returned from my father.
Sakura-san
"I was told that I could eat even if I couldn't buy sanitary napkins. Oh, I couldn't continue to say ... But I think menstruation can be stopped. Eat rice. That's why it's definitely not the case when asked if menstrual blood should be drained, but at that time, even if I tell my father, he doesn't understand, after all it can't be helped. "
I can't talk to my friends
Sakura hasn't told her friends that she can't buy sanitary napkins.
I used to borrow it casually when I happened to run out of stock, but now I can't say it.
"Sanitary napkins are a daily necessities for my friends, and it seems to be difficult for everyone to get a part-time job, so it's a high hurdle to get from people. I don't think people around me realize that I'm not using sanitary napkins. I don't wear makeup because I'm worried if I don't look good, but I try to wear clean clothes and show it to the public. "
Menstruation is not something that is "insignificant"
Menstrual problems that I can't even talk to my close friends.
Mr. Sakura feels that there is no problem if the person in need does not speak out, and that the life and dignity of a person with menstruation may be treated carelessly.
He responded to the interview, hoping that it would be an opportunity to change the current situation as much as possible.
Mr. Sakura:
"I used to do that, but I have the idea that menstruation is something that should be hidden and something that should be ashamed, so it's a topic that makes it difficult for me to say that I'm in trouble. I think there are other children who save on sanitary napkins. Menstruation comes on a regular basis, and I hope you will understand and support me that sanitary napkins are the same daily necessities as meals in my life. I think
The problem of having difficulty in obtaining sanitary napkins for financial reasons, such as Mr. Sakura, is rapidly gaining attention as "physiological poverty."
On March 15th, Tokyo's Toshima Ward began distributing sanitary napkins free of charge at ward office counters, and support at the local government level began to spread.
Whether or not sanitary napkins are available without any inconvenience greatly affects the quality of life.
However, I think the need for support has hardly been discussed.
The reality is that 19-year-old Sakura must courageously appeal in modern Japan.
I feel that I have to face this issue through interviews.