Public Sanitary Pad Support Pilot Project Launched... Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Invites Applications from Over 10 Local Governments

Final Selection in Early June After Briefings

"Available for Anyone in Emergencies... Improved Accessibility"

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced on April 23 that it will accept applications from more than 10 basic local governments to participate in the "Public Sanitary Pad Support Pilot Project" until May 21.

The Public Sanitary Pad Support Pilot Project is being launched this year to ensure that sanitary pads, which must be purchased and used repeatedly over time as essential items, are available for anyone to use when needed.

Applications for pilot regions will be accepted until May 21 following informational sessions for local governments. The final selections will be made in early June, taking into account population size and regional characteristics. Selected local governments will have a preparation period and begin implementing the pilot project in stages starting in July.

As part of the pilot project, sanitary pad dispensers will be installed at major public facilities in each region, including community centers, public libraries, cultural centers, welfare centers, health centers, family centers, and youth centers, so that anyone can freely access sanitary pads when needed.

The sanitary pads provided through the dispensers will be procured via bulk supply contracts from products that have passed the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety standards. In areas with heavy foot traffic, dispensers capable of large storage capacity and automatic usage tracking will be installed to ensure efficient management and stable supply.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has allocated a budget of 3.2 billion won for this year's pilot project and plans to expand it into a full-scale program through local government matching funds starting next year.

Minister Won Min-kyung of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family stated, "By operating the Public Sanitary Pad Support Pilot Project, we will strengthen women's health rights and improve accessibility to sanitary pads by allowing anyone to use them freely in emergencies. We will actively cooperate with local governments to ensure the seamless implementation of the pilot project in the field."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.