Menstrual Hygiene Day: Importance and major barriers to access to menstrual hygiene

Menstrual Hygiene Day is marked on Could 28 yearly. Menstruation is without doubt one of the most important processes a lady’s physique undergoes. The day is noticed throughout globe to mark the significance of menstrual hygiene, break the stigma round durations, elevate consciousness and alter the destructive mindsets, which forestall women and girls from having a protected interval. It was initiated by the German non-profit WASH United in 2013. WASH United is the general world coordinator of Menstrual Hygiene Day and acts as its worldwide secretariat. 

With a view to undo the stigma and destructive connotations round a interval, Menstrual Hygiene Day brings about an acceptance, thus encouraging younger women and girls to embrace their interval hygienically.

Speaking about the identical, Dr. Aparajita Gogoi, WRAI – Nationwide Coordinator & Govt Director, Centre for Catalyzing Change mentioned “We want a generally agreed understanding amongst households, communities, coverage implementers and educators that menstrual hygiene is intrinsically linked to adolescent women’ well being and total well-being. Optimum menstrual practices have a cascade impact on improvement indicators corresponding to entry to common education, which in flip is a constructing block for a life that emcompasses the complete gamut of entitlements.”

“India has made big strides in class enrollments, for example, however at puberty, schooling and well being indicators for ladies start to dip and women face growing restrictions to their mobility and total sense of company.  In keeping with the 4th spherical of the Ministry of Well being and Welfare’s Nationwide Household Well being Survey (NFHS-4), carried out between 2015-16, solely 36% girls in India use sanitary pads throughout menstruation,” added Dr Gogoi.

Talking concerning the main boundaries to entry to menstrual hygiene, Dr Gogoi additional mentioned “As improvement practitioners and caregivers working throughout and after the pandemic, we want to pay attention to the 2 main boundaries to entry to menstrual hygiene: many women in India say they don’t know about menses earlier than their first interval, displaying an enormous want for consciousness era. The opposite big want is for better availability of sanitary merchandise: a majority of girls in India have reported that their households can not afford to purchase sanitary pads. On Menstrual Hygiene Day, there’s a must consolidate efforts round these two most pressing wants, amongst others.”