To
Distt Commissioner,
Ghaziabad.
Subject : Period hygiene for girls and its importance.
Dear Sir
My name is Aadhya Kapoor and I study in Class VI G of Delhi Public School, Indirapuram.
Through this letter I want to raise issue of hygiene in girls in menstrual cycle. Hygiene is very important. It is important to us like oxygen and water. If we do not keep our body clean then we can have germs and infections which can make us sick. It is very important to keep hygiene when girls are going through periods. During this time germs are more active and there is greater fear of infection.
Because of ignorance and lack of knowledge the girls are being discriminated for no fault of theirs and for something which is natural. In some villages and communities the girls are even made to live outside the house. They are given separate place to sleep, separate plates to eat and not allowed to come in contact with other persons of the house. All this is for something which is natural. Infact the girls are made to live in more unhygienic conditions during such times instead of normal times which makes them exposed to infections.
The girls are also teased by boys for this natural cycle. The girls are made to feel as if they have done something wrong for a process which is a natural process.
- The district administration authorities should make people aware of these things. People should be informed that this a natural process.
- Instructions should be given to schools that girls should be made aware of this in schools early so that they are aware.
- They should be told that this is natural and they should not be afraid of this. They should be told the importance of hygiene and use of sanitary pads.
- The school (especially government school) should be directed to provide things like sanitary pads , covered bins etc.
- Administration can make sanitary pads available at very cheap rates to girls who can not afford them. Hygiene is a more bigger problem than pollution these days and it needs to be solved.
There is some awareness which is coming. We have seen movies like “Pad Man” which highlighted the issue. This was a good effort. However administration needs more efforts and need to undertake publicity campaigns so that awareness is created more at village levels where the problem is more acute.
Administration also needs to reach out to private companies so that they also come in and support this. They can be given incentives so that they contribute to this cause and work with government to make sure that the pads are cheaply and easily accessible to every body.
Therefore there needs to be an effort at all levels which needs to be pushed by the State administration. Girls need to be made aware that this is natural and tell them the importance of hygiene and a proper diet during periods. The schools and the government need to provide pads at cheaper rates and make them easily accessible to every girl. There should be effort to bring awareness all around the world about this issue and should not be treated as a taboo. Only then the problem of hygiene can be solved.
Yours Sincerely
Aadhya Kapoor