This pandemic has indeed put the entire nation on a halt for a few months, but there are still a few things that can’t be excused and don’t stop just because it’s a pandemic. This calamity, combined with other unfortunate events, turned out to be dreadful, especially for women. According to a survey, 62% of the respondents stated that it had become challenging for them to access menstrual hygiene products.
The shutdown of factories, transport, and closure of shops made basic menstrual hygiene products inaccessible to the people. The production and distribution of the sanitary pads were stopped due to migration of workers and the lockdown. Initially, menstrual hygiene products were not even included in the list of essential items, leading to stockout of the products at some places. It was only after a week that they were added into it.
Periods For Schoolgirls During Pandemic
Schoolgirls in India faced a massive shortage of the sanitary pads, as schools; their only supply source of sanitary pads were closed during the coronavirus lockdown. This situation has constrained schoolgirls in Jharkhand into compromising their menstrual hygiene and resorting back to cloth pads.
The stigmatic shame attached to periods and the fear that the male members of the family would see it, make them feel ashamed of themselves. Which is why, they never wash and dry the cloth in the sun, leaving it damp, leading to reproductive tract infections. In some cases, women use sanitary pads for a longer time than they should because of the unavailability of the stock. In slums, where people are dependent on community toilets, social distancing measures restrict them from using them as frequently as they would’ve during their periods.
“The culture of silence around menstruation has become even more evident in the COVID pandemic. Millions of women and girls from economically disadvantaged sections of the society are finding it difficult to manage their periods safely, hygienically and with dignity,” said Yasmin Ali Haque, a UNICEF India Representative.
Periods In The Double Disaster: Floods And Pandemic
With no washrooms in the area, women would find a corner to change their pad and either burn or bury the soiled pads. A large number of women would use cloth, store it in a plastic bag and wash it when the water level decreases.
A group of women rights activists, led by Mayuri Bhattacharjee, urged the state health minister to include sanitary pads in the list of relief items that were being provided in the shelter homes. “Besides pads, the box contains hand sanitizers, bathing soaps, detergent, bleaching powder, phenyl, mosquito coil, a pair of underwear and a face mask,” told Bhattacharjee to TOI. Apart from this, for years Bhattacharjee has been pushing the government into building ‘period-friendly shelter homes‘ where women are provided with basic sanitary products and menstrual aids.
An Initiative
To solve this problem, the government should encourage the production and distribution of locally made eco-friendly pads. This initiative could help in the availability of pads in every home at the ground. Selling these homemade pads can result in the small but significant earnings for the unemployed mass in the rural areas, making them comfortable and more empowered in regard to the misinformation around this.
Similar to this was something that a few girls from Uttar Pradesh did. They made sanitary pads at home during the pandemic, making it available to others and fighting the stigma at the same time. These small initiatives can help us start conversations around safe menstrual practices.