355 million Indians menstruate. A majority of them still don't have access to sanitary hygiene.

What's At Stake? What Can I Do?

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ONLY 48% ADOLESCENT GIRLS*

ARE AWARE ABOUT MENSTRUATION BEFORE THEIR FIRST PERIOD.

*Source: Dasra

Years of activism, followed by recent popular culture, has mainstreamed the conversation around menstrual taboos. While this is leading to a rise in the use of commercial sanitary pads, the stigma around menstrual health and sexual and reproductive health and rights continues to thrive. Traditional and religious beliefs, and the connotation of 'impurity', have created a massive obstacle to access to menstrual health.

According to a report by WaterAid, illnesses related to a lack of water, basic sanitation and hygiene are the fifth biggest cause of death among women and girls. Dasra's 2014 report states that close to 23 million girls in India drop out of school every year due to a lack of proper sanitation facilities. Sexual and reproductive health and rights are crucial for a dignified, inclusive upbringing for women and girls.

Become A Menstrual Health Champion

Access to Menstrual Hygiene isn’t too much to ask. Menstruating people deserve a dignified life complete with access to water, sanitation and hygiene, devoid of stigma. Speak up to share your experiences and opinion on access to menstrual health and help decision makers address these issues and create better access to health and sanitation facilities.

 

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Write about the need for education, sanitation and better health and hygiene necessities for menstruating people, or speak up against the taboos and stigmas facing menstruating people.

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A former Assistant Secretary with the Ministry of Women and Child Development in West Bengal for three months, Lakshmi Bhavya has been championing the cause of menstrual hygiene in her district. By associating herself with the Lalana Campaign, a holistic menstrual hygiene awareness campaign which is conducted by the Anahat NGO, Lakshmi has been slowly breaking taboos when it comes to periods and menstrual hygiene.

A Gender Rights Activist working with the tribal and marginalized communities in india, Srilekha is a PhD scholar working on understanding body and sexuality among tribal girls, to fill the gaps in research around indigenous women and their stories. Srilekha has worked extensively at the grassroots level with community based organisations, through several advocacy initiatives around Gender, Mental Health, Menstrual Hygiene and Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) for the indigenous in Jharkhand, over the last 6 years.

Srilekha has also contributed to sustainable livelihood projects and legal aid programs for survivors of sex trafficking. She has been conducting research based programs on maternal health, mental health, gender based violence, sex and sexuality. Her interest lies in conducting workshops for young people on life skills, feminism, gender and sexuality, trauma, resilience and interpersonal relationships.

A Guwahati-based college student pursuing her Masters in Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bidisha started the #BleedwithDignity campaign on the technology platform Change.org, demanding that the Government of Assam install
biodegradable sanitary pad vending machines in all government schools across the state. Her petition on Change.org has already gathered support from over 90000 people and continues to grow.

Bidisha was selected in Change.org’s flagship program ‘She Creates Change’ having run successful online advocacy
campaigns, which were widely recognised. Through the #BleedwithDignity campaign; she organised and celebrated World Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2019 in Guwahati, Assam by hosting a wall mural by collaborating with local organisations. The initiative was widely covered by national and local media, and the mural was later inaugurated by the event’s chief guest Commissioner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) Debeswar Malakar, IAS.

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