Poor hygiene and inadequate sanitation still remain a big barrier in practicing menstrual hygiene at workplaces in the informal sector despite the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the two resolutions in 2010 and 2015 that recognise human rights to adequate water and sanitation.
Public toilets, even if available, are often poorly constructed and maintained with no sanitary materials like soap and running water. Without proper sanitation and access to sanitation facilities, menstruators develop coping strategies including open defecation and absenteeism from work, thereby having a negative impact on their productivity.
Consequences Of Inadequate MHM At Workplaces
While menstruators may be forced to withhold urination and defecation in the absence of toilets, barring menstruation is impossible. They risk sexual assault when forced to look for changing places in darkness or lonely places that may be dangerous. Improving WASH standards that are supportive of menstrual hygiene management of menstruators at workplaces in the informal sector is beneficial to environment protection, economic development and good public health.
Most slums in Kenya, such as Kibera and Mukuru, are congested and have fewer toilets. The infamous ‘flying toilets’ is still used by a section of the residents of Kibera Slums. Although Kibera has water, the supply is unreliable and the taps often go dry. Moreover, there is no sewerage system in the area to hygienically manage waste. Managing menstruation in slums is still a nightmare in Kenya.
Division of labor is an old-gone phenomenon, since women provide essential labour in most construction sites. Nonetheless, most sites lack toilet facilities and sometimes even safe water supplies. This forces women to go to nearby bushes or corridors, which may be unsafe and insecure. In addition, lack of water and adequate sanitary facilities may force menstruators to skip work during period, thereby affecting their livelihood.
Studies suggest that poor menstrual hygiene management poses great health risks to menstruators, including urinary tract infections (UTIs) and reproductive tract infections. Moreover, inappropriate disposal of menstrual waste leads to environmental pollution, especially land degradation and water contamination.
The social and health consequences of not addressing menstrual hygiene management at workplaces include reduced concentration and productivity, stress and anxiety. Consequently, a study conducted in four Southeast Asian countries shows that a quarter of all workplaces lack toilets in Cambodia, 14% of workplaces in Philippines have inadequate toilets while 74% of market places in Vietnam have no toilets.
Assuming female employees were absent for one day a month as a result of inadequate WASH facilities during their periods, the study estimates 13.8 and 1.5 million workday absences in the Philippine and Vietnam respectively, with an economic loss of USD 13 and 12.8 million per year.
Remedies
Appropriate disposal of used menstrual materials is still a challenge in workplaces in the informal sector. There are low menstrual management practices in most developing countries. Most women dispose of their menstrual materials in plastic bags, open dumping sites and garbage bins. Most of these wastes are left unattended and are scattered all over by stray dogs and scavengers at roadsides.
Conservancy systems and latrines were designed with urine and faeces in mind, but they are unable to cope with menstrual materials. In order to address these needs, existing facilities should be maintained and necessary elements for safe and dignified menstrual hygiene management put in place. Women-friendly elements should be integrated in new constructions, especially for girls in urban informal settlements.
In addition, there is need for continued innovation and investment in the disposal of menstrual waste. Safe and hygienic disposal options are needed. Behavioural change education for improved hygienic disposal of menstrual waste at individual and community level is vital.
The challenges of poor hygiene and inadequate sanitation can be addressed by integration of International guidance for menstrual hygiene management into existing country-level WASH standards and regulations. In addition, governments should formulate policies that will regulate the provision of gender appropriate WASH facilities in work environments in the informal sector. Research and increased documentation of the WASH environment for menstruators in informal sector is urgent.
The government and stakeholders should innovate technology or models to ensure women can dispose of menstrual waste properly and that system can process waste efficiently while limiting public health risks. Moreover, non-governmental organisations should encourage gender inclusivity in WASH infrastructure development. Additional studies are also needed on the economic, health and social related impact of inadequate WASH and menstrual hygiene management at workplaces in the informal sector.
Improving WASH standards that are supportive of menstrual hygiene management for adolescent girls and women at the workplace is beneficial to public health. It also contributes to human dignity and the attainment of human rights, that is sexual and reproductive rights.