“Aaj bhi yeh red dot campaign chal rahi hai? Par kyu? Mujhe toh lagta tha periods na hona ek problem hai. But periods hona kabse problem ho gaya? Yeh feminism nai hai! It’s my birth right!”
“Shhh… periods aa gaye! Yaar iss mai, yeh ‘shhhhh’ karne ki kya baat hai? Periods hi toh hai! I am a girl, I am born with it. Iss mai itni badi baat kya hai?”
Menstruation or menses or periods is defined as the natural bodily process of releasing blood and associated matter from the uterus through the vagina at a period of approximately one lunar month or one menstrual cycle.
The Current Scenario In India
Menstruation is a monthly occurrence for the 1.8 billion girls, women, transgender men and non-binary persons of reproductive age. Yet, as reported by UNICEF in 2019, millions of menstruators across the world are denied the right to manage their monthly menstrual cycle in a dignified and healthy way. During the pandemic, the condition has even worsened, especially for adolescent girls and women working as daily wagers and migrant workers.
As migrant women are heading back to their hometowns, either on foot or “closely cramped” in a truck, let’s hope they only get their periods when they reach their homes. With no washrooms along highways and insufficient money to buy sanitary napkins, they have no choice but to use available resources like a used cloth, leaves, etc. during this time.
During, the first lockdown period, from March 25, 2020, menstrual hygiene products like sanitary pads and napkins were not a part to the list of the essential items, and the easy access to these products was curtailed for millions of citizens in the country for a duration of 21 days. (This came as a shock even to me as I too faced this crisis.) As reported by MSMEs and small entrepreneurs, production and distribution of sanitary pads had significantly slowed down.
Ironically, on March 30, 2020, when sanitary pads were added to the list of the essential items eligible for supply chain operations during the lockdown, they were out of stock everywhere. I too ordered sanitary napkins from Amazon and Big Basket, but my orders were cancelled. If this was the situation for me, I wonder what happened with the migrant workers and daily wagers.
With the lockdown being extended again and again, schools across the country are shut for months. Girls in government schools cannot avail the facility of free sanitary pads. The distribution of iron and folic acid tablets is also affected, posing serious implications for the health of these girls in their reproductive age. Moreover, parents of these girls are either daily wagers or maidservants who are currently not working or have lost their jobs and have no tangible income to buy menstrual hygiene products.
Female daily wagers and migrant workers on the road and women in quarantine or isolation facilities may even experience discrimination and stigma more acutely due to their periods. In the current situation, non-accessibility to safe and hygienic menstrual products is posing serious health implications. These individuals may even use their menstrual hygiene products for longer than recommended hours and may also opt for unhygienic alternatives.
In slums, where many are dependent on community toilets, social distancing measures and mobility restrictions make it all the more difficult for girls and women to use toilets as frequently as they need to during their periods. Additionally, procuring water for washing needs during menstruation and the lack of privacy to change and discard used materials are barriers for safe menstrual hygiene practices.
Menstrual Health Hygiene: A Human Right
According to Human Rights Watch (2016), WASH United and UNICEF, the necessity of managing menstruation and society’s response to menstruation are linked with women’s and girls’ human rights and gender equality. Women and girls encounter difficulties in managing hygiene during menstruation when they lack the enabling environment to do so.
Notably, when they have difficulty exercising their rights to water, sanitation and education, they will likely have difficulty managing their menstruation. When women and girls cannot manage their menstrual hygiene, it can negatively impact their rights, including the rights to education, work and health.
Globally, May 28 is celebrated as Menstrual Hygiene Day. Menstrual Health Hygiene (MHH) is a key objective of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Women and girls’ access to MHH is a component of gender-responsive WASH services; SDG 6.2 acknowledges the right to menstrual health and hygiene:
“By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.”
Without considering needs for safe and dignified menstruation, the world cannot achieve the vision for sanitation and hygiene described under Goal 6. Also, the stress and shame associated with menstruation can negatively affect mental health, and unhygienic sanitation products may make girls susceptible to reproductive tract infections — all affecting SDG health outcomes (Goal 3).
Focal Points Of Action At The Community Level:
- Public-Private Partnerships for easy accessibility and free distribution among individuals of below poverty line families, daily wagers and migrant workers. State governments should make arrangements at the nearest Anganwadi centres/district hospitals/petrol pumps/food distribution centres, located at highway crossings where menstrual hygiene products can be made available, especially for the migrant workers.
- Mass movement, awareness and self-reliance – Daily wagers, migrant workers and women and girls from BPL families should be made “atmanirbhar” by teaching them the art and science of making hygienic cloth pads at home. Further such sustainable public health models should be scaled for livelihood and earnings.
- Padman in every home – Remember the movie Padman! Yes, we need a “Padman” in every household, irrespective of it being located in an urban or rural setting. Men have a strong influential role to play when it comes to women’s rights and access to safe menstrual hygiene practices. Also, organisations like Jatan Sansthan, Rajasthan, are running a Menstrual Health Promotion and Livelihood Initiative. They impart skills for production techniques and other details of how to manage and run a cloth pad production centre.
“Jab hum ek mask ghar par bana sakte hai, toh pad kyu nai?”