2025-10-03
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Deputy Director Lin noted that to enhance the health and rights of disadvantaged women, the Social Affairs Bureau launched the Assistance Program for Disadvantaged Women and Families to Eliminate Menstrual Poverty in 2022. Through social welfare service centers, the program provides menstrual pads to women with disabilities, those facing economic hardship, and individuals in urgent or temporary need. During comprehensive surveys of families in special circumstances, the bureau also proactively distributes menstrual pads to women from disadvantaged households. To date, the program has provided over 40,000 packs of menstrual pads, benefiting more than 8,700 individuals.
The Social Affairs Bureau noted that this year’s menstrual equity awareness campaign invited gender education workers, experts, and advocacy groups to hold sessions across 10 locations—including mountain, coastal, and urban areas—at social welfare centers, schools, and libraries. Through diverse outreach approaches, the campaign promoted menstrual equity awareness and received participation from over 250 attendees. In addition, an online giveaway held on the Social Affairs Bureau’s Facebook page during the campaign period drew nearly 1,000 participants leaving comments.
The Social Affairs Bureau explained that Taichung City currently has a total of 111 social welfare service locations, including women’s and new immigrant empowerment centers, child and youth service centers, new immigrant service centers, family welfare centers, parent-child centers, homeless support organizations, and other welfare facilities (https://reurl.cc/K4p4RM) that provide menstrual products. Moving forward, the city government will continue to promote menstrual equity through public awareness campaigns and related services, fostering a safer and more considerate spaces for all. The Bureau also encourages the public to join in advancing gender equality and building an inclusive, friendly, and equitable city of happiness.
Today’s tea gathering featured the sharing of experiences in promoting menstrual equity and included a hands-on workshop led by the Love Binti Association, where participants learned to make menstrual pads. The finished products will be donated to girls in need in Uganda, Africa. The event was graced by the presence of Taichung City Gender Equality Committee member Chen Fei-Hung, with City Councilor Huang Shou-Ta and representatives from the West District Office also attending to show their support.
