Social organisations are doing their bit to promote menstrual hygiene, from the distribution of sanitary pads to holding awareness workshops, but say that despite these, the taboo around it persists. May 28 is Menstrual Hygiene Day.
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Conversations around menstruation are important to tackle this, say activists. “Our campaign MARD, or Menstruation a Right to Discuss, constantly encourages both men and women to step out and talk. We encounter initial shyness and hesitation, but we make sure they’re aware of it,” said Chinu Kwatra, who has reached out to over 2,000 women in the interior pockets of Thane, Airoli and Borivali and is getting them to share their menstruation experiences. Besides conversations, Mr. Kwatra also distributes biodegradable sanitary napkins.
Activists say conversations between a mother and daughter as well as education on menstruation in schools is of utmost importance. However, this seems to be lacking. “No one talks about menstrual hygiene in schools. So when menstruation starts, it is disturbing and shocking for most girls,” said Sarika Gupta, co-founder of Navi Mumbai based Safe N Happy Period. Ms. Gupta, who works closely with schools, said schools need to take initiatives to reach out to girls of every age group at least once a year. “I feel the education is lacking, not the facilities,” she said.
In a July 2018 baseline survey carried out by Tata Water Mission, an initiative of Tata Trusts in Jharkhand, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, only 10.25% women said they had spoken about menstruation with their mothers, 70% of the women did not know why women menstruate, 55% of women did not enter the kitchen while menstruating and travelled a distance of nearly 9 km to buy menstrual products. Based on these findings, the initiative focuses on breaking the stigma associated with menstruation and encouraging a dialogue on it, thereby making it a non-issue.
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Some activists are also encouraging women to use menstrual cups which are environment-friendly as well as cost-effective. “We first start providing sanitary pads and gradually encourage women to try the cups,” said Dipti Kashalkar, co-founder of Upasana, a non-profit that terms this initiative as ‘cup-verting’. The NGO has been conducting workshops in areas around Dahanu, Vajreshwari and Virar for the past four years and has started WhatsApp self-help groups for women to put forward their queries.
The groups also have doctors on them. “This year, our goal is to provide 2019 cups to underprivileged girls,” said Ms. Kashalkar.