What is menstruation?
Medically, menstruation is the process in a woman of discharging blood through the vagina at about one month interval from puberty until menopause. This cycle is a part of a woman’s reproductive system and prepares the body for a possible pregnancy. Menstruation is also known as menses, menstrual period, cycle or period. The menstrual blood, which is partly blood and partly tissue from the inside of the uterus flows from the uterus through the cervix and out of the body through the vagina.
Why is menstrual hygiene important?
Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is defined as “Women and adolescent girls are using clean menstrual management materials to absorb or collect blood that can be changed in privacy as often as necessary for the duration of the menstruation period, using soap and water for washing the body as required, and having access to facilities to dispose of used menstrual management materials”[1]. Menstrual hygiene plays a vital role in the well-being and empowerment of women. It is not just about access to sanitary pads and other requirements. It is about ensuring women and girls, an environment that values and supports their ability to manage their menstruation with dignity.
Even though menstrual hygiene is the primary need of every single woman, many of them are not able to manage their menses and menstrual hygiene. Due to discriminatory social environment, inaccurate information and poor facilities the majority of the women cannot practice good menstrual health at home, school, workplace and other public settings. Along with the myths and taboos that exist in society, menstrual hygiene is becoming the biggest challenge to half of the world.
Menstrual hygiene and Human Rights
Human rights are the basic rights that belong to every person in the world by virtue of his or her human dignity. Menstruation is intrinsically related to human dignity. Lack of safe and effective ways to manage their periods is one of the greatest threats against the dignity of women. Gender inequality, taboos and myths, negative attitude towards women, discriminatory practices, and lack of health, education and sanitation can undermine a girl’s enjoyment of fundamental rights. Not only because of the public views, but there are also customs and cultural practices that built boundaries to a woman’s freedom. Some of the human rights that can be undermined by women’s and girls’ treatment during menstruation are given below:
1. Right to health
Many women are experiencing negative health consequences because of the lack of supplies and facilities to manage their menstrual health. 63 million adolescent girls are living in homes without toilets. Despite national efforts to improve sanitation, women and girls are lack appropriate facilities and community support to manage their menstruation privately and safe manner.
2. Right to education
When girls are unable to adequately manage menstruation in school, their school attendance and performance will suffer. Access to health related education (puberty, sexual and reproductive health, norms, stigmas and taboos) is also an essential need of every girl child.
3. Right of Mobility
Many taboos restrict a girl’s mobility and activity during menstruation. While these practices vary according to the cultures and regions, the common practices include restrictions on living, eating and cook with the family, restriction on visiting worship places and using flowing sources of water. Mothers and grandmothers can be particularly influential in perpetuating these taboos.
4. Right to non-discrimination and gender equality
Gender disparities remain a critical issue in India impacting women and girls’ education, health and workplace participation. In the 2015 United National Development Program’s Human Development Rank, India ranks 130 out of 155 countries in the Gender Inequality Index (GII), trailing behind lesser developed Asian countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan which rank 111 and 121 respectively[2]. Many data shows girls are often on par with boys in adolescents, but with the onset of puberty outcomes for girls begin to diverge.
5. Right to water and sanitation
Private and safe, water and sanitisation facilities are the basic pre-requisites for managing menstrual health management. Cultural practices and community attitudes related to menstruation limit girls’ use of existing toilets, particularly during menstruation. Current national-level efforts to improve sanitation do not prioritise MHM[3].
6. Access to information
In India, 71% of girls do not know about menstruation before their first period. Girls often turn to their mothers for information and support, but 70% of mothers consider menstruation dirty further perpetuating taboos[4]. Girls received inadequate education on menstruation pre-menarche. Post menarche, education programs focus on the biological aspects of puberty with limited focus on psychological needs. They are more emphasised on the use of the products and the awareness programmes are rarely targeting the influencers.
Does the State focus on realisation of these rights?
Gender equality is enshrined in the Indian constitution. The constitution not only grants equality to women but also empowers the state to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of the woman. Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws, development policies, plans and programs are emphasised on the development of women. The legal justice system is made more responsive and gender sensitive to women’s needs. There are many policies for the nutrition and health of women that are given to all sectors of society. In many rural areas and urban slums, special attention is given to the needs of women in the provision of safe drinking water, sewage disposal, toilet and sanitisation facilities.
Setting all these achievements apart, we have a lot more to go. First proper education must be given to women and men based on menstruation. Many rural areas don’t even have toilet facilities. There must be awareness programmes to increase the self-esteem of every girl child. The State must ensure that every girl is getting their right to live with dignity. Menstruation is a celebration of women hood. We have to ensure their celebration with hygiene.
[1] Biran A, Curtis V, Gautam OP, Greenland K, Islam MS, Schmidt W-P, et al. Menstrual Hygiene. In: Background paper on measuring WASH and food hygiene practices–definition of goals to be tackled post 2015 by the joint monitoring Programme. 1st ed. London: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; 2012. p. 81.
[2] Human Development Report 2015, http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/2015_human_development_report.pdf.
[3] Menstrual Health in India Country Landscape Analysis, https://menstrualhygieneday.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/FSG-Menstrual-Health-Landscape_India.pdf.
[4] EH News Bureau, 71% of girls in India have no knowledge of menstruation before their first period, https://www.expresshealthcare.in/news/71-of-girls-in-india-have-no-knowledge-of-menstruation-before-their-first-period/405186/#:~:text=There%20are%2071%20per%20cent,also%20educate%20them%20about%20periods.”
This article has been written by Sneha Brigit Prince, the author is a 4th year BA LLB student at St. Joseph’s College of Law, Bengaluru who is committed to building a career in the legal field. She is specifically interested in the areas of Constitutional law, Human rights and Commercial laws.
