[The Guardian] Scotland to offer free sanitary products to all students in world first
Scotland to offer free sanitary products to all students in world first
Students at schools, colleges and universities across Scotland will have access to free sanitary products as part of a £5.2m scheme to fight period poverty.
The Scottish government is the first in the world to make sanitary products available free to all of its 395,000 pupils and students to help “banish the scourge of period poverty” - when girls and women struggle to pay for basic sanitary products on a monthyly basis, significantly affecting their hygiene, health and wellbeing.
A recent survey of more than 2,000 people by Young Scot found that one in four respondents at school, college or university in Scotland struggled to access sanitary products. Moreover, research by the grassroots group Women for Independence revealed nearly one in five women had experienced period poverty.
The Scottish government said it worked closely with partners including the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), Colleges Scotland, Universities Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council on the scheme.
The communities secretary, Aileen Campbell, said: “I am proud that Scotland is taking this world-leading action to figth period poverty and I welcome the support of local authorities, colleges and universities in implementing this initiative.”
Councillor Alison Evison, the president of Cosla, said while the primary aim of the scheme was to ensure no young person missed out on their education through a lack of access to sanitary products, “it will also contribute to a more open conversation and reducing the unnecessary stigma associated with periods”.
- sanitary:(a) [‘sænɪt(ə)rɪ] 1. 與健康有關的, 有關衛生的, relating to the ways that dirt, infection, and waste are removed, so that places are clean and healthy for people to live in. 2. 清潔的, 衛生的, clean and not causing any danger to people’s health. back
Diseases were spread through poor sanitary conditions. 疾病因卫生条件很差而传播开来.
Often, the camps were not very sanitary. 营地里常常不太卫生.
Cholera thrives in poor sanitary conditions. 霍亂在惡劣的衛生條件下肆虐.
- scheme:(n) [skiːm] 計劃; 方案;(政府或其他組織的/造福他人的), an official plan that is intended to help people in some way, for example by providing education to training. back
The money will be used for teacher training schemes. 这笔钱将用于教师培训计划.
- scheme:(v) 計劃; 策劃; 搞陰謀, 密謀, to secretly make clever and dishonest plans to get or achieve something.
She’s nothing but a lying, scheming little monster! 她就是个爱撒谎、爱算计的小巫婆！
- scheme to do sth
She schemed to kill him with poison. 她密谋毒死他.
- period:(n) [‘pɪərɪəd] 月經, the flow of blood that comes from a woman’s body each month. back
I was 12 years old when I started my periods. 我12岁月经初潮.
- poverty:(n) [‘pɒvətɪ] 貧困; the situation or experience of being poor. back
Millions of elderly people live in poverty. 数百万老年人生活在贫困之中.
Scottish:(n) [‘skɔtiʃ] 蘇格蘭人. back
pupils:(n) [‘pjuːpɪl; -p(ə)l] 學生(尤指小學生), someone who is being taught, expecially a child. back
About 20 pupils study music here. 大约20名小学生在这里学习音乐.
- banish:(v) [‘bænɪʃ] 消除(想法), 打消(念頭), to try to stop thinking about something or someone. back
They tried to banish the memory from their minds. 他们试图抹掉心中的记忆.
- scourge:(n) [skɜːdʒ] 禍害; 禍根; something that causes a lot of harm or suffering. back
the scourge of unemployment. 失业的祸害.
the scourge of war. 战争的祸害.
We must eradicate the scourge of gun violence from our communities. 我們必須從我們的社區根除槍枝暴力的禍害.
scourge:(v) 使遭收苦難, 蹂躪, to cause a lot of harm or suffering to a place or group of people.
hygiene:(n) [‘haɪdʒiːn] 衛生, 保健, the practice of keeping yourself and the things around you clean in order to prevent diseases. back
Working in a sanitary kitchen helps promote food hygiene.
the importance of personal hygiene. 个人卫生的重要性.
oral/dental hygiene 口腔衛生
good/poor/proper hygiene
The Consumers’ Association blames poor hygiene standards. 消费者协会指责卫生标准低下.
- wellbeing:(n) 幸福; 福利 back
The conclusions come in a study of how people perceive their wellbeing. 结论来自于一份研究人们如何理解幸福的报告.
- respondent:(n) [rɪ’spɒnd(ə)nt] 回答問題的人; someone who answers questions, especially in a survey. back
Only 62 percent of respondents said they were satisified. 回复调查的人中只有62%表示满意.
- grassroots:(n) [‘græs’rʊts] 平民百姓; 草根階層; The grassroots of an organization or movement are the ordinary people who form the main part of it, rather than its leaders. back
You have to joiin the party at grassroots level from what I understand. 据我的了解，你得由基层组织入党.
“Nazis understand grassroots organizing better than the Democrats,” Bee joked. Bee 打趣道: “納粹比社會民主黨更加理解基層組織建設.”
grassroots culture
reveal:(v) [rɪ’viːl] 透露, to make known something that was previously secret or unknown. back
He may be prosecuted for revealing secrets about the security agency. 他可能因泄露安全部门的机密而被起诉.
- initiative:(n) [ɪ’nɪʃɪətɪv; -ʃə-] 新方案; 倡議; an important new plan or process to achieve a particular aim or to solve a particular. back
a government initiative to help exporters. 扶助出口商的政府计划.
a new initiative for peace in the Middle East. 中东和平新方案.
If they don’t manage their time well they miss out on things. 如果他们没有处理好自己的时间，他们就会错过一些事情.
I’d hate to miss out on the theatricality of a wedding. 我不希望錯過婚禮上的盛大場面.
The leaders miss out on one important aspect. 領導們遺漏了一個重要方面.
- stigma:(n) [‘stɪgmə] 恥辱; 羞恥; a strong feeling in society that being in a particular situation or having a particular illness is something to be ashamed of. back
There is a social stigma attached to single parenthood. 单身父母在社会上的名声不光彩.
- the stigma of alcoholism/mental illness etc
The stigma of alcoholism makes it difficult to treat. 酗酒的恶名令其很难治愈.
Gently she encouraged me, reminding me this is how to end the stigma. 他溫柔地鼓勵我, 提醒我這是結束恥辱的方式.