Malta’s Pilot Project Tackles Period Stigma With Free Menstrual Products In Schools
Menstrual stigma is still very much a thing, creating shame, misinformation, and unnecessary barriers to education and healthcare for many. But Malta is taking steps to change that.
The Human Rights Directorate, within the Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms & Equality, has rolled out a pilot project providing free menstrual products to secondary school students. The goal? To normalise menstruation and ensure that period products are easily accessible—because no student should have to worry about their period interfering with their education.
Launched in September 2024, the project is already benefiting around 900 students across three schools: Santa Monica Secondary in Birkirkara, Maria Regina College in Mosta, and Gozo College Middle School. Each school now has dispensers offering free pads and tampons, with options chosen based on student preferences from earlier studies. The machines operate automatically or via dongles, making access easy and discreet.
This initiative is part of Malta’s Gender Equality and Mainstreaming Strategy and Action Plan (GEMSAP), which also looked into the costs of menstrual products and explored the removal of VAT on these essential items. And yes, as of this year, Malta has officially scrapped the tampon tax—bringing VAT on sanitary products down to 0%.
So far, feedback from students and schools has been overwhelmingly positive, with regular use of the dispensers proving that this initiative is filling a real need. But this is just the beginning. By the 2025/2026 academic year, the project will expand to all middle and secondary schools, including state, church, and private institutions.
This is a big step toward ending period stigma and making menstrual products a basic right, not a luxury.
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