The Menstrual Hygiene Day is celebrated on May 28. The number 28 refers to the average days of the menstrual cycle and 5 (month of May) refers to the average amount of days a woman or girl experiences menstruation in a month. Regular menstruation signals a woman’s health and fertility and is a biological process. However, unfortunately, all over the world, this natural biological process is surrounded by shame, secrecy, embarrassment, fear, humiliation, silence, taboo, and stigma – often grounded in patriarchal assumptions. In India, both Government and non-Government agencies started talking about menstrual cycle and menstrual hygiene for only last 20 years.
However, the discussion was in loud and clear voice say for last 7 to 10 years. The topic of menstruation is discussed in two fronts – one from an empowerment perspective where women and adolescent girls (Reproductive rights and rights over our own body); and another from health and hygiene perspective. It is worth mentioning that lack of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) has adverse health impact on women and adolescent girls in India. This further gets aggravated considering the taboos and myths associated with menstruation in Indian culture – cutting across the religions. Thus, when we discuss about menstrual hygiene from a health perspective, we mostly talk about breaking the silence around menstruation along with personal hygiene during menstruation.
Therefore, our discussion revolves round availability of clean absorbents, clean water and privacy in terms of changing room or toilets. But the fundamental point remains unaddressed fully – breaking the silence around menstruation and menstrual hygiene.
If we engage with adolescent girls and women for breaking the silence around menstruation and menstrual hygiene, first of all, we are reaching only half of the population. And knowing that the Indian societal system is patriarchal in nature, despite women and adolescent girls knowing everything about menstruation and menstrual hygiene can’t change the mindset of male fraternity for breaking the taboos around this. Thus,it warrants due understanding of male around the myths and taboos associated with menstruation and menstrual hygiene to break the silence around this.
Another important factor is access to proper menstrual absorbents is most important for maintaining proper hygiene during menstruation and this has certain level of financial implication. In a patriarchal society like us, when male in a family holds the financial power and decision around expenditure in a family, without having due knowledge on menstruation and importance of menstrual hygiene, creates huddle in this aspect.
Availability of separate toilet with water facility and privacy at household as well as at institutions (especially schools) is another essential aspect of proper menstrual hygiene management. Male fraternity having limited and negative understanding compounded with lack of perspective for essence of such facilities will yield no result.
Many of our Government scheme talk about distribution of sanitary pad. A couple of years back, the Government of Odisha also launched a scheme named “Khushi” to distribute sanitary pads to school going girls free of cost and it is planning to reach 17 lakh of adolescent school going girls.
Many schools do not have female teacher and that’s why they are silent about the scheme, despite having provisions under the scheme. This could have been addressed, if male fraternity would have been duly educated about menstruation and menstrual hygiene.
Above all, the negativity prevailing around menstruation and menstrual hygiene is mostly because of lack of understanding among male fraternity on menstruation and menstrual hygiene compounded with lack of information based on science – not taboos and myth.
Definitely there is a positive change in this sphere – starting from Bollywood producing movie to promotional advertisement by Government starring Bollywood hero around menstruation and menstrual hygiene. But the pace of change is not at par with the way India is posing as a developed nation. Starting from individual action to collective action by male fraternity is absolutely essential for breaking the silence around menstruation and menstrual hygiene. Change has to be initiated at own family level by discussing on this – then with peers, proximate communities and with larger society. The topic needs to be discussed from early education level – irrespective of gender, to remove shame and stigma around menstruation and menstrual hygiene.
Besides there are multiple institutions starting from Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) at school level to Gram Panchayat/ Urban Local Body level committees and many more beyond community level to be used as platform for discussion on this to break the silence. Media can also play a greater role in making male fraternity more aware and sensitive towards the issue. When science and technology has taken the centre stage of our survival and growth, how long we will live with myths around menstruation and menstrual hygiene? If India has to be made developed in true sense, a holistic approach for menstrual hygiene management – starting from breaking the silence around menstruation to availability of separate toilet with water facility and privacy to availability of proper menstrual absorbents to proper disposal facilities and above all removing all sorts of stigma and myths around menstruation and menstrual hygiene are a need of the hour. And “gender equality” will remain a far cry without achieving this.
(The author works with WaterAid India, Bhubaneswar. However, the views expressed are personal)