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Period poverty still a problem within the EU despite tax breaks

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Period poverty still a problem within the EU despite tax breaks

In some countries, costs remain high for women despite tax breaks with many not being able to buy their product of choice.

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Approximately half of the EU menstruates or will do it at some point of their lives. But that does not mean access to menstrual products is guaranteed.

There is no official EU data on how many women suffer menstrual poverty, but Belgian NGO Bruzelle believes that in Belgium one in fifteen people cannot buy their choice of product.

“At some point, you have to choose between a basic necessity and buying menstrual products. So at some point, you have to choose between eating or buying a menstrual product,” explains Verónica Martínez of Bruzelle.

“When you get to that point, you’re really in a situation of menstrual insecurity. And add two other factors that make the situation even worse, which are the lack of menstrual information and the lack of safe, well-adapted places to change in complete safety,” she adds.

Since 2022, the EU allows member states to sell menstrual products without VAT. For now, Ireland is the only one taking advantage of this.

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Most states have reduced taxes between 5 to 10%. But in others taxes remain high, such as Hungary (27%) or Sweden and Denmark, both at 25%.

One of the options to alleviate the cost of menstrual products is using reusable ones.

Free menstrual cups in Catalonia

Catalonia recently started giving out a menstrual cup, a pad or a pair of period underwear to fight menstrual poverty.

“Menstruation still has lots of taboos and stigma in society. This is why this is a universal action. We need to change the way society has been dealing with menstruation as a private issue, as something that it’s not spoken about, because this means these stigmas have also implications on women’s health and well-being,” explains the Minister of Equality and Feminism of the Government of Catalonia, Tània verge.

According to the Catalan government, 23% of women in the region are reusing single use products and 44% can’t afford their first choice.

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COP29 Host Urges Collaboration as Deal Negotiations Enter Final Stage

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COP29 Host Urges Collaboration as Deal Negotiations Enter Final Stage
By Valerie Volcovici and Nailia Bagirova BAKU (Reuters) – COP29 climate summit host Azerbaijan urged participating countries to bridge their differences and come up with a finance deal on Friday, as negotiations at the two-week conference entered their final hours. World governments represented at …
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Man in India regains consciousness before his cremation on funeral pyre: reports

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Man in India regains consciousness before his cremation on funeral pyre: reports

A 25-year-old man who was declared dead and about to be cremated in India this week was found to be still alive by witnesses, according to reports. 

Rohitash Kumar, 25, who was deaf and mute, was declared dead at a hospital in the state of Rajasthan in the northwestern part of India without a post-mortem examination, according to The Times of India. 

Once it was clear Kumar was alive at his cremation on Thursday afternoon, his family reportedly took him back to a hospital where he died early Friday morning. 

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A crematorium in India.  (Rupak De Chowdhuri/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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Three doctors involved in declaring Kumar dead at the Bhagwan Das Khetan district hospital have since been suspended, the newspaper reported. 

Kumar had suffered an epileptic seizure and was declared dead after he flatlined while doctors were performing CPR on him, the Daily Mail reported, citing the AFP news service. 

Relatives carry the body of a person who died of COVID-19 as multiple pyres of other victims burn at a crematorium in New Delhi, India, in 2021.

Relatives carry the body of a person who died of COVID-19 as multiple pyres of other victims burn at a crematorium in New Delhi, India, in 2021. (AP Photo/Amit Sharma, File)

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“The situation was nothing short of a miracle,” a witness at the funeral pyre told local news outlet ETV Bharat. “We all were in shock. He was declared dead, but there he was, breathing and alive.” 

Ramavtar Meena, a government official in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, called the incident “serious negligence.”

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Rajasthan, India

The state of Rajasthan in northwestern India.  (Vishal Bhatnagar/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“Action will be taken against those responsible. The working style of the doctors will also be thoroughly investigated,” he said. 

Meena added that a committee had been formed to investigate the incident. 

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Thousands march across Europe protesting violence against women

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Thousands march across Europe protesting violence against women

Violence against women and girls remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it.

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Thousands marched across France and Italy protesting violence against women on Saturday – two days before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. 

Those demonstrating protested all forms of violence against women – whether it be sexual, physical, psychological and economic. 

The United Nations designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The goal is to raise awareness of the violence women are subjected to and the reality that the scale and nature of the issue is often hidden. 

Activists demonstrated partially naked in Rome, hooded in balaclavas to replicate the gesture of Iranian student Ahoo Daryaei, who stripped in front of a university in Tehran to protest the country’s regime. 

In France, demonstrations were planned in dozens of cities like Paris, Marseille and Lille. 

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More than 400 organisations reportedly called for demonstrations across the country amidst widespread shock caused by the Pelicot mass rape trial. 

Violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world, according to the United Nations. Globally, almost one in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their life. 

For at least 51,100 women in 2023, the cycle of gender-based violence ended with their murder by partners or family members. That means a woman was killed every ten minutes. 

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