United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and State Government have joined hands to promote the usage of sanitary pads among adolescent girls in the State. Presently, more than 50 per cent rural girls use cloth instead of sanitary pad due to lack of social awareness, reveals a study.
As of now this first of its kind project titled ‘Breaking the taboo’ will provide sanitary pad in the anganwadis and Government schools of Gumla and East Singhbhum districts at a minimum charge. Also, the project through Anganwadi Sahiyaas and Government school lady teachers will impart knowledge about this health concept among adolescent girls.
The communication strategy project will be coordinated by UNICEF, State Drinking Water and Sanitation, Primary Education along with Social Welfare, Women and
Child Development departments.
Explaining the reason of this initiation, Manish Ranjan, Mission Director of National Rural Health Mission at the inauguration of a two-day workshop on menstrual hygiene on Thursday said, “The ongoing Government of India’s (GOI) Menstrual Health and Hygiene programme running in Ranchi, Bokaro, Hazaribagh, Dhanbad and Giridih districts where a sanitary pad is given at a cost of one rupee shows that 50 per cent of underprivileged females are unaware about menstrual hygiene habits.”
Due to this unawareness UNICEF recently surveyed Gumla and East Singhbhum districts wherein ignorance on this female health issue is more and almost same like the above mentioned five districts.
Supporting this fact, UNICEF Jharkhand Chief Job Zachariah informed that about 17 lakh girls in Jharkhand are in menstrual cycle everyday. “Out of this population, more than 70 per cent adolescent girls are not aware of menstrual hygiene such as usage of sanitary pad during menstruation instead of cloth,” Zachariah maintained.
Adding more about this hesitation he said, “In some cases, Anganbadi Sahiyaas and Government school female teachers do not know the usage of sanitary pad.”
Notably, the response of girls in availing sanitary pads through GOI’s programme is quite low. “There is lot of privacy and lack of expert advice regarding this issue,” added Manish Ranjan.
According to Zachariah, Primary Education Director Mamta and Social Welfare, Women and Child Development Principal Secretary Rajeev Arun Ekka toilets in rural homes and schools remain unused by girls.
Stressing on the importance of using toilets, Ekka said, “It is shocking that 93 per cent village based females defecate in fields after sunset or before sunrise. This affects their reproductive system. It is important to erase this
barrier and encourage females to use toilets.”
AIDS cases rising among trafficked women: NRHM
According to NRHM Jharkhand Mission Director Manish Director every year about 33,000 girls are trafficked to different parts of the nation from Jharkhand. “Two-third per cent of this population are heard of AIDS,” he said. He also mentioned that out of the total population of the State, 10 per cent includes adolescent girls.