Over 10 crore toilets have been built under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), but how many of them are actually period-friendly? No one knows. And despite specific guidelines on menstrual hygiene management (MHM), why is 113,000 tonnes of menstrual waste still generated every year? Access to water and menstrual hygiene products themselves remains a huge problem in itself, thus, this October 2, which marked 6 years of the SBM, YKA hosted a Twitter chat with 14 emerging youth leaders championing the movement for better menstrual health and hygiene.
The youth leaders are all part of YKA’s Action Network Fellowship geared around running high-impact digital advocacy campaigns to demand menstrual health in the country. The Fellows came together to initiate a conversation on the gaps that need to be filled in order for swachh periods to truly be included in a swachh Bharat.
1. Swachh Bharat’s Missing Pieces
Working on diverse issues related to menstruation, Fellows highlighted how the dearth of focus on menstrual health in the SBM is translating into real-life problems for menstruators across the board.
Action Network Fellow, Meemansa, who is advocating for access to water for Bagariyas (a nomadic tribe in Rajasthan), discussed how toilets constructed under the SBM are defunct in essence resulting in the continued practice of open defecation. The lack of water connections to these toilets essentially results in dry latrines which are illegal. Without access to water, menstruators are pushed into making difficult choices which put their health at risk.
2. Wrt menstrual health, women and girls are forced under the taboo, and lack of water. Women cannot ask for more water to clean themselves, and are forced to make difficult choices crucial to their health. They have to choose water to drink or to clean themselves. #ApnaTimeAyega
— Meemansa (@MeemoMachlii) October 2, 2020
Fellows also remarked on the need for the SBM to recognise that menstruation and menstrual needs to go beyond infrastructural support and that there is a pressing need for education and resources to ensure dignity.
Informed choice is missing from #SwachhBharat and there's no attention to the right to access affordable and toxic free menstrual products, right to practise bleeding freely or with own materials in a safe and dignified way, right to live without social exclusion. #PeriodPaath https://t.co/gsMxJ02oz3
— The Red Cycle (@theredcycle_in) October 2, 2020
I second that. The focus on infra is important but working on stigma, awareness about hygienic and healthy practices, the support system for adolescent menstruator after they attain menarche, this is very important. #Period360degree conducts awareness on this. #PeriodPaath
— Rajasi Kulkarni Diwakar (@DiwakarRajasi) October 2, 2020
Proper menstrual waste treatment and disposal, as well as the lack of MHM requirements in higher education, were other missing aspects in the SBM that was greatly discussed between the Fellows.
2. Water Everywhere, Except In Toilets
Taking the conversation around water further, Fellows highlighted the risks associated with not having access to sufficient clean water.
#PeriodPaath WASH – the very term starts with water and it’s importance cannot be stressed enough. Women deserve clean water to manage their menses – women are more prone to UTIs & anticipating lack of clean water can lead 2 changing sanitary products less & possibly getting TSS
— Niharika (@niharecca) October 2, 2020
Dignity was again a prominent theme in this discussion as Fellows shared stories of young menstruators being forced to practice unhygienic sanitation due to the paucity of water in their schools and/or communities.
"Our hands smell of fecal matter because there is not enough water and soap to wash hands. Our hands, our bodies and the menstrual cloth smell of stale blood even after bathing."- Menstruators from rural Bihar, via @SEWABharat#SBM #WASH
— Alharh (@alharh_bihar) October 2, 2020
Another less spoken-about issue that was brought forward was the role water plays in equipping menstruators with the ability to choose their menstrual product and make the shift to sustainable alternatives.
Lack of water is also a barrier to our efforts to help menstruators shift to the sustainable & inexpensive menstrual cup. #PlanetFriendlyPeriods campaign is thus also harnessing this intersectionality to advocate for piped water supply in schools #periodpaath
— eArth Samvarta Foundation (eSF) (@eArthSamvarta) October 2, 2020
3. Is A Constructed Toilet A Functional Toilet?
With many fellows campaigning for functional period-friendly toilets in educational institutions, discussions around what constitutes a period-friendly toilet and evidence on the current state of affairs were shared by the Fellows working on the ground.
when we visited some community schools in Rajasthan that had toilets for #SwacchBharat, most where either without water/proper construction or if they were too good (rare few) like some in Assam, it was converted into storage space! there's also no system to keep it clean (1/2) pic.twitter.com/NaUo1DpvYW
— The Red Cycle (@theredcycle_in) October 2, 2020
(2/3)
"there is no jet of hand shower but there is a *broken mug which is of no use. No soap in dispenser. No tissue papers . Most of the water taps don't work properly. Even the door latches don't work."#periodpaath #delhiuniversity— DU Bleeds (@BleedsDu) October 2, 2020
A common scene you can spot. Schools in Sitapur. #PeriodPaath pic.twitter.com/P2WGE20Ntm
— Bhawna (@BhawnaRai9) October 2, 2020
Apart from being unhygienic, not having water or dust bins to dispose menstrual waste – also the fear of it being unsafe – as most public spaces are, for women
— Nupur Lalvani (@NupurLalvani) October 2, 2020
Solutions to overcoming these challenges were also discussed with the inclusion of menstruators in the planning process emerging as the most commonly held opinion.
Let's include more menstruators and local people while making toilets and period-friendly facilities. Also can we all please use term 'menstruators' or 'people who menstruate' to include non-binary and trans people?
#PeriodPaath— Rajasi Kulkarni Diwakar (@DiwakarRajasi) October 2, 2020
4. The Garbage Challenge
Recognizing the mountains of waste created by using commercial disposable sanitary napkins, many fellows are advocating for proper disposal mechanisms as well as promoting the use of sustainable alternatives while equipping menstruators with the knowledge to make informed choices while selecting their menstrual product. Through their work, they have identified gaps in information that prevent menstruators from making such informed choices. These gaps are perpetuated through uninformed policies, companies spreading misinformation, and ever-lasting taboos.
Misinformation on part of cup companies- Sirona Cup's manual itself says: "not recommended for "Virgins""! creating fear among users based on the construct of "virginity" which is patriarchal to begin with! #periodpaath #planetfriendlyperiods working to bust these myths pic.twitter.com/alszn736h5
— eArth Samvarta Foundation (eSF) (@eArthSamvarta) October 2, 2020
Cloth was always available and if used well, it is way cheaper and always accessible! So cloth shaming needs to stop. As a part of our #Period360degree, we respect choices of menstruators and conduct awareness sessions in local languages.#PeriodPaath
— Rajasi Kulkarni Diwakar (@DiwakarRajasi) October 2, 2020
The narrative around health and period products are controlled due to this partnership between large conglomerates and govt. to push for single use products & maintain the cycle of production, profits and waste generation without any accountability. 3/3 @YouthKiAwaaz https://t.co/yI6pp9ovOz
— Nitisha (@bloodyfeminist) October 2, 2020
As an NGO and diabetes community we observe diabetic menstruators simply do not have ANY information which reassures them of the safety of using alternate menstrual hygiene products while living w a chronic medical condition #PeriodPaath https://t.co/2YyKgodV6r
— Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation (@bluecirclediab) October 2, 2020
5. The Way Forward
To bridge the gaps in managing menstrual waste in the SBM, the fellows put forth solutions taking various aspects and stakeholders in the supply chain into consideration.
1/2
Segregation of waste to ensure dignity of waste pickers.
Dustbin for disposing pads separately.
Great quality incinerators that meet the safety standards (if disposables are used by menstruators)
Education on healthy use of products and correct way of disposal #PeriodPaath— Rajasi Kulkarni Diwakar (@DiwakarRajasi) October 2, 2020
Using a single use product should not be a judgement or something to be ashamed of. The focus should be on creating spaces for dialogue, the decision is still that of a menstruator. They know their challenges, bodies and contexts much better than anyone. #PeriodPaath 3/4
— Nitisha (@bloodyfeminist) October 2, 2020
SBM(G) (see 2020 doc) needs to look beyond incinerators as the only solution. Look at how menstraution is being managed so waste can either be cut down or eliminated. How? Educate about options available – cups, reusable pads, sustainable pads that decompose 1/2 #PeriodPaath
— Niharika (@niharecca) October 2, 2020
PHASE OUT PLASTIC DISPOSABLES!
we have so many sustainable options and socially responsible enterprises in the country, why not #MakeinIndia without plastics or toxic chemicals?#PeriodPaath— The Red Cycle (@theredcycle_in) October 2, 2020
This critical conversation was organized in collaboration with the WSSCC. During this dialogue, Action Network Fellows engaged with one another to spur dialogue around the MHM provisions in the Swachh Bharat Guidelines. The Fellows also regularly engage with one another and other experts to spark conversations around MH policies in the country, highlighting their achievements and challenges in an attempt to demand better menstrual rights in the country.