Extremists Target Menstrual Health Stalls and Feminist Voices at Bangladesh’s Biggest Book Fair

WHAT HAPPENED?
Menstrual Hygiene Stalls Removed from Bangladesh’s Annual Book Fair after Extremist Pressure

The only thing left for these extremists to do is to restrict women’s access to the book fair!

At the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela (Bangladesh's main annual book fair), two stalls promoting menstrual hygiene awareness were forced to remove products like sanitary napkins after objections from a group claiming they were “indecent.”

Fearing a mob situation, event organizers complied, and Bangla Academy, rather than defending public health, used a technicality to shut them down.

This isn’t new. The same fair saw a radical mob attack a stall for displaying a book by feminist and secular writer Taslima Nasreen. A writer was assaulted, yet Bangla Academy stayed silent - then banned the book and shut the stall down instead.

SNAPSHOT 
Elimination of VAT & Tax on Imported Raw Materials

In 2019, the government eliminated supplementary duty and value-added tax (VAT) on imported raw materials required for manufacturing sanitary napkins.

This policy aimed to reduce production costs for local manufacturers, with projections indicating a potential 40% price drop for sanitary pads.

By lowering financial barriers, the initiative sought to make menstrual hygiene products more accessible to low-income women.

The policy’s impact was further extended in the 2024–2025 national budget, which prolonged VAT and duty exemptions until June 2025.

SNAPSHOT 
Free Sanitary Napkin Distribution

SNAPSHOT 
Pad & Equipment Distribution and Entrepreneurship Training for Women

SNAPSHOT 
Formulation of National Menstrual Hygiene Management Strategy 2021

SNAPSHOT 
Performance in Key Indicators