ISLAMABAD: In a small act that would eventually lead her to Pakistan’s courts, Mahnoor Omer once watched a household employee ask for menstrual products.
She was about 13 or 14. To Mahnoor, the request seemed simple.
“To me it was something as simple as tissue paper. It was such an insignificant thing in my brain.”
Her mother, however, explained that many women and girls did not have the same access or even adequate information about menstruation and menstrual hygiene.
That moment stayed with her.
Mahnoor began collecting money with friends from Eid and birthday gifts, holding bake sales and using the proceeds to distribute menstrual products and underwear in underserved communities. What began as a personal realization gradually became a much broader campaign around access, awareness and dignity.
Today, the young lawyer is recognized internationally for that work. In 2026, she was named one of TIME’s Women of the Year, while her campaign around taxes on menstrual products continued to draw attention to an issue that extends well beyond the price of a packet of sanitary pads.
More than affordability
For the 25-year-old lawyer, period poverty is not simply a question of whether someone can afford a sanitary product.
“The word period poverty doesn't just mean that you're poor and you can't afford a product. It is a system of illiteracy. It's a system of unawareness where you don't know how to take care of yourself.”
She points to the wider challenges surrounding menstrual health, including inadequate sanitation facilities, limited access to information and the stigma that can make menstruation difficult for girls and women to discuss openly.
The scale of the challenge is reflected in UNICEF research in Pakistan. A 2017 U-Report poll found that 49% of respondents had no knowledge about menstruation before their first period, while 44% reported lacking access to basic menstrual hygiene facilities. 28% said they had missed school or work during their periods.
UNICEF research from Sindh has also documented fear, distress and worry among girls around menarche, alongside significant gaps in information and menstrual hygiene facilities.
For Mahnoor, those realities made the issue one of rights as much as affordability.
From community to courtroom
The next stage of her campaign came through the legal system.
In September 2025, Mahnoor, together with lawyer Ahsan Jehangir Khan, filed a constitutional petition before the Lahore High Court challenging taxes imposed on menstrual products.
Her argument centered on constitutional protections including Article 25, which guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, and Article 14, which protects the dignity of individuals.
The case gave a legal dimension to a conversation Mahnoor had been having for years through community work and advocacy.
“I don't think this case was just one in the courtroom. It was also one in rooms like these where discussions happen.”
The campaign also brought greater public attention to the distinction between what is often called the “pink tax” and taxes specifically imposed on menstrual products. The pink tax generally refers to gender-based price differences for comparable goods or services, while a “period tax” or “tampon tax” refers specifically to taxes and duties applied to menstrual products.
In Pakistan, the tax burden on such products included sales tax, duties and other levies, depending on the product and whether it was locally produced or imported.
Policy shift
The legal and public discussion came as Pakistan’s government moved to provide tax relief on menstrual products through the Federal Budget 2026-27.
Presenting the budget, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb described sanitary towels and related products as essential items for women’s health and said they were indispensable to women’s “health, dignity, and full participation in social activities.”
“Therefore, it is proposed to abolish the tax on sanitary towels and related items,” he said.
The government subsequently removed sales tax on sanitary pads and tampons under the 2026-27 budget measures, with the change taking effect from July 1.
The policy development represented more than a tax change.
“It's a huge symbolic win, right? ... a symbolic win of starting a conversation, a very uncomfortable conversation.”
She was particularly encouraged that menstrual products had been publicly recognized at the policy level as necessities rather than discretionary goods.
But she also stresses that the work is not finished.
“We actually want full tax removal. The customs tax is still there.”
Her focus has therefore shifted from simply challenging one tax measure to pushing for broader affordability and access, including consideration of taxes on imported products and raw materials.
Changing the conversation
One of Mahnoor’s most enduring arguments is that menstrual health cannot be addressed through taxation alone.
Education, she says, needs to become part of the solution.
She advocates scientific, sensitive health education around puberty and menstruation, delivered in ways appropriate for students and accessible in local languages.
The human rights activist also believes boys need to be part of the conversation so that menstruation is not treated as something embarrassing or secretive.
Her message is straightforward:
“It's only shameful if we keep treating it like a secret.”
Buying menstrual products, she says, should be as ordinary as buying any other essential item.
“You should be able to buy it. And without it being awkward.”
That distinction between privacy and shame is central to the way she views menstrual health.
People can choose to keep menstruation private, she argues, but privacy should not require embarrassment, silence or a lack of access.
'What to use’
Mahnoor also sees a role for government beyond tax relief, from targeted subsidies and menstrual products in social-support programs to awareness campaigns and accessible information services.
For her, the ultimate objective remains choice.
“Our goal has always been access. You should always have a choice of what to use.”