Quote:Omer is challenging the country’s “period tax”, which sees only a small proportion of women in Pakistan able to buy sanitary pads thanks to high taxes and duties which, according to Unicef, can add up to 40% to the retail price. One study found that only 16.2% of women in rural areas used pads due to the cost.

The Pakistan government exempts “essential goods” from tax – currently the list includes items such as cattle semen, milk and cheese. So why, asked Omer, are the sanitary pads that are needed monthly by many of the country’s 109 million women classed as non-essential and taxed as luxury goods alongside perfumes and cosmetics?

“It is disheartening that despite women serving as ministers, lawmakers and public representatives, gender-blind policies continue to pass without question,” Omer says. “Whether it’s an omission or a deliberate act, such laws must be amended.”