Despite several talks initiated by various Government and non-Government bodies on menstrual hygiene, the menstrual hygiene management (MHM) has still remained a challenging job.
Many women and girls in every State are still struggling to manage menstruation hygiene that results in various health issues and school dropouts. This calls for greater awareness among the people and convergence of various Government departments to works on the MHM, opined speakers at a consultation organised by the WaterAid in collaboration with the Practical Action, the AAINA and the NAWO to mark the third Global Menstrual Hygiene Day here on Saturday.
Recent studies have suggested that only around 50 per cent of girls know what menstruation is the first time they experience their period. “The main reasons for MHM to be challenging are lack of knowledge on MHM, lack of access to safe and hygienic products, inadequate water, sanitation, hygiene facilities and safe disposal systems,” said WASH manager (Health and Sanitation) of WaterAid Arundhati Muralidharan.
All theses constraints have a wide range of impacts on girls, including health and education impacts. “Poor MHM not only gives rise to daily itching and irritation, but can result in serious infections like reproductive tract infection (RTI) and if untreated for a long term, girls and women can face the risk of cervical cancer,” she added.
WaterAid Regional Manager Bisakha Bhanja spoke on the role of various Government departments, mainly the School and Mass Education, Women and Child Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation and Human Resources, in the MHM. Bhanja stressed on the need for greater convergence among the departments to address the issue and budgetary allocation by all the departments for achieving a proper MHM.