To,
Narendra Modi
Honorable Prime Minister of India.
Subject: Indian Parliament Should have a discussion on Periods.
Sir,
I am writing this letter to draw your attention to the biased perception of society on periods. More than 5000 words are used worldwide for periods because there is a shame in taking its name directly. In countries like Nepal, Chaupadi traditions are still considered when women separate themselves from family during periods. 50 percent of girls in Iran and 20 percent in India believe that periods are diseases.
Mr. Prime minister you are one of the very popular leaders in the world. As a citizen of India, I want to say that you raise this issue on every local and international platform. Periods in Indian society are never openly talked about. Due to a lack of information many girls get contagious diseases, then many consider menstruation as a disease. The problem increases further due to poverty. People in poor homes do not have both the money and the convenience to buy sanitary pads. Due to this, many girls miss their studies as soon as many periods begin, If pads can be provided to girls, then they do not hesitate to go to school.
Manisha, a Delhi-based high school student, says that “if there is a blemish on the skirt during periods, the boys call us shameless and embarrass them.” “We feel bad that the boys saw blood on our clothes. It becomes difficult for us to even go before them.”
Mr. Prime Minister, you announced in 2014 that India will be free from open defecation on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. But not all the poor people living in Delhi have access to toilet facilities. But despite the huge progress made in this direction, there remains doubt about its bold claim of being 100% successful.
Not only the backward states of the country, but the capital New Delhi can also be called open defecation free. Laxmi, a woman who has defecated in the open in the morning near the railway track near Delhi Cant railway station, tells, “Where we live, there is no toilet. We have to go in the open.”
Apart from this, it is also very important to have toilets everywhere, including schools. For a healthy, productive and dignified life, women must get things like water, soap, toilets, and sanitary pads during periods. She spends 6-7 years of her life in periods. This is an important part of her life. Even then they are not able to get even the basic facilities.
In countries like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal there are a lot of people who consider women less because of periods. In those five days, women are considered almost untouchable. And the other type of people are those who say that periods are a normal physical process of women, it should be seen in the same way. Viewers can understand these feelings with advertisements. Periods are not even mentioned in advertisements for sanitary pads.
A student of a college says that “many times they had to face the odd situation, but if the sanitary napkins will be found in the college itself and there will be facilities to destroy them, then it will be a big relief for them.”
Despite all the efforts, it is not easy for girls to get a school education in South Asian countries. Governments in South Asian countries claim to run all the programs for the education of children. According to WHO standards, there should be a toilet for every 25 girls, but in reality, this does not happen.
Fatima lives in Barapulla, the mother of four children living in a poor colony. Fatima, who works as a domestic maid in others’ homes for a living, says, “We have been living here for many years, but despite repeated calls, no one has constructed a toilet. We are forced to defecate in the open. It is not safe either, but what to do.”
In the Indian environment, young girls or other young women, are hesitant to talk openly on their personal problems and also hesitate in issues like their cleanliness. This is the reason why women come under the influence of all such diseases, which can be prevented through hygiene.
Many of the toilets that have been constructed are not being used. If no one has a door, then someone is being used to keep things and other things. The 46-year-old Revati, a mother of two, lives in the Uttam Nagar area of Delhi. She told, “The toilet built near my house is of no use. There is another toilet where three rupees are taken. My husband and I somehow earn 7 to 10 thousand rupees a month. We are not able to give three rupees every time. We do not like going to the bushes. There are many men who stare but we are helpless. We love our honor. But where to go? “
Mr. Prime Minister Cultural barriers, old habits or lack of knowledge about hygiene are also becoming a hindrance to the use of toilets. If you are going to change the long-standing habits of the people of rural areas, then first you have to focus on changing their behavior. To achieve the goal, it has been assumed from the number of ‘toilets in homes’ that the village has become ‘open defecation free’. However, it is not like that.”
Look Forward to Hearing From you.
Yours Sincerely
Rohit Dhyani