A traveler was forced to give an unexpected demonstration after being stopped at a border crossing from The Gambia into Senegal in Africa.
During her travels, full-time traveler Tara Katmis, told Newsweek about the moment she was stopped by border control and asked to explain what her tampon was. "We were traveling from The Gambia into Senegal. Crossing over land borders was a wild experience," Katmis said. During the crossing, border officers pulled a tampon from her purse and asked her to explain what it was.
"They didn't give any suggestions as to what they thought it was, but after they pulled out 10 from my purse and said 'open it,' I decided to take matters into my own hands and explain," Katmis said. Despite the language barrier, she described the moment she explained what the tampon was—primarily with actions thanks t,o the language barrier—as "hilarious across the board," with everyone sharing a good laugh.
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After a thorough search of the travelers' bags, the group was allowed to continue into Senegal. "There are no X-rays, so I understand the precaution," Katmis said.
Later, Katmis shared the moment with her followers on her TikTok account, @tarkatims, where she often shares her travel adventures. Quickly gaining over 13.4 million views, she joked in the text overlay on the video: "Getting interrogated over a tampon at a border crossing in Africa wasn't on my bingo card for this summer, but had to give a quick TED talk to avoid jail."
In the comments, people shared their own experiences of being asked to explain their feminine hygiene products. User, @samrew270, commented, "Same thing happened to me in Dubai. They didn't know what a tampon or pads were." Another viewer, @Mickayla Meunier, added: "I had the same thing happen to me at the airport in Ghana."
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As the video gained more attention, other commenters began highlighting an important issue—period poverty. Globally access to safe and hygienic menstrual products is an ongoing issue. According to statistics by charity ActionAid, 1 in 10 girls in Africa miss school due to the lack of menstrual products or private toilets; and in Kenya, 50 percent of school-age girls do not have access to these essential products. The issue is not confined to Africa; 12 percent of India's 355 million menstruating women cannot afford menstrual products.
"I share all my travel moments on TikTok, from recommendations to story-times. I'm also a travel agent, so I'm always trying to help people see more of the world," Katmis said.
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She added that she was pleased that people had raised the important issue of period poverty in the comments section. "I'm shocked at how many people have responded to it, but I think, on a more serious note, period poverty is very much real in many nations, and it's cool that this silly video could be a catalyst in people acknowledging it in my comments."
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