Poor hygiene can lead to many issues such as fungal or bacterial infections. This Menstrual Hygiene Day, it is more important than ever to invest in health and well-being of young girls
Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have adversely impacted menstrual health in India by cutting off access to free sanitary napkins and critical information to help adolescent girls cope with and better manage their period. This Menstrual Hygiene Day, observed globally on May 28, it is more important than ever to highlight the importance of investing in adolescent health and well-being and break taboos around menstruation.
Last year, the 10to19 Dasra Adolescents Collaborative studied how the lockdown and pandemic affected various essential and developmental aspects of the lives and well-being of young people. The study surveyed 110+ non-profit organisations serving vulnerable adolescents across the country. According to this report 74 per cent of organisations before and/or after lockdown reported difficulty in obtaining sanitary napkins and about 43 per cent reported difficulty during the lockdown. These findings validate that the pandemic has severely affected adolescents and their access to menstrual health and hygiene products. The second wave has only exacerbated these issues and gap; pushing this already vulnerable demographic even further into the trenches.
Highlighting the urgent need for intervention, Divya Santhanam, Senior State Programme Manager for Population Foundation of India in Rajasthan, said, “The Rajasthan government’s allocation of about Rs 200 crore to the Free Medicine Scheme, with a firm emphasis on the dispensation of free sanitary napkins, expansion of distribution through health and medical facilities as well as sensitisation drives, will help create much-needed awareness around menstrual hygiene.”
Menstrual health has a major impact on young girls’ lives. Ensuring they receive reliable information from parents or teachers about menstruation before their first period encourages healthy habits and dispels stigma and fears. However, the lack of access to online classes due to the digital divide in rural India has led to a disruption in girls’ education and, specifically, key information about menstrual health. The National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4) reported in 2015-16 that women with 12 or more years of schooling were over four times more likely to use hygienic methods than women with no schooling (81 per cent versus 20 per cent). A 2016 landscape analysis titled Menstrual Health in India also observed that of nearly 355 million girls in India who have come of age, 71 per cent had no idea about menstruation before their first period. Poor menstrual hygiene can lead to many issues such as fungal, bacterial infections or problems related to fertility, physical and mental health.
Dr Amita Kashyap, MD-PSM (Senior Professor, SMS Medical College) said, “We need positive interventions at every level as NFHS-4 (2015-16) noted half of the rural women still do not use hygienic methods, and girls are often inadequately educated on puberty and menstrual health. Many drop out of school when they begin menstruating. The normalisation of conversations around menstruation is as critical as the dispensation of hygiene products because numerous taboos, misinformation, superstition, and ignorance still surround the subject. Hopefully, the awareness programmes being anchored by the state government as well as civil society organisations will lead to social and behavioural change and more communities will understand the consequences of unhygienic menstrual management.”
Divya applauded the fact that approximately 1.2 crore women in the age group of 15 to 45 years would benefit from the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) in the state. “Such initiatives depict that the state government is sensitive towards recognising the issues and needs related to menstrual health. These steps will go a long way in protecting women and girls from developing menstrual hygiene-related diseases like fungal, urinary tract, and reproductive tract infections. All young girls deserve correct information and resources to manage their menstrual health,” she added.