While countries like Kenya, India, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Colombia, and South Africa have abolished the pink tax or period tax, Pakistan still cannot seem to let go of it. A woman spends about six to seven years of her life menstruating cumulatively. For schoolgirls and women belonging to lower-income groups, managing their periods appropriately can be extremely difficult.

According to UNICEF, only a small proportion of women in Pakistan are able to buy sanitary pads due to high taxes that can add up to 40 percent of the retail price. Another study found that only about 16.2 per cent of women in rural areas use pads because of the high cost.

A 25-year-old lawyer and activist, Mahnoor Omer, is fighting the Pakistani government for women’s rights and has already had her fir

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