Normalizing menstruation could be achieved through:
New Delhi; May 31, 2018: Today Dasra, in collaboration with Menstrual Health Alliance India (MHAI) that includes Development Solutions, WASH United- Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, WaterAid India and Zariya, kicked-off a national consultation on menstrual hygiene management (MHM) as part of the Global Menstrual Hygiene (MH) Day, observed on May 28. The consultation, Pushing the Boundaries on the MHM Dialogue, enabled multiple stakeholders to look at Menstrual Hygiene Management through the lens of health and empowerment.
Dasra and MHAI focused on informing action-at-scale drawing upon field experiences, innovations and evidence. Experts engaged in lively discussions on menstrual hygiene in challenging situations such as emergencies and with marginalized groups like the differently abled, deliberated on the linkage between menstrual hygiene and health effects, and unpacked what girls and women want in terms of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities during their periods.
Dasra and MHAI focused on informing action-at-scale drawing upon field experiences, innovations and evidence. Experts engaged in lively discussions on menstrual hygiene in challenging situations such as emergencies and with marginalized groups like the differently abled, deliberated on the linkage between menstrual hygiene and health effects, and unpacked what girls and women want in terms of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities during their periods.
By getting different stakeholders together, Dasra and MHAI hope to further the momentum towards normalizing menstruation. "Bringing about social change through collaboration begins with shifting the narrative. Communities, citizens, and government officials need to support systems that can get to the grassroots and engage in a new dialogue in order to enable women and girls to manage menstruation in a hygienic way - wherever they are - in privacy, safely and with dignity," says Krishnan Hariharan, Associate Director, Dasra.
In India, 50% of girls have no knowledge about menstruation when they get their first period which leads to fear and poor menstrual hygiene practices. Education about menstruation and MHM will be critical to empower girls to manage their menstruation safely, hygienically, with confidence and without stigma.
Nirmala Nair, Managing Director, WASH United India, says, "It is unacceptable that in the year 2018, millions of women and girls in India are held back by something as natural and normal as their periods.
This doesn't just harm women and girls, but the entire country. Solving this challenge has to start with education, so that all girls know what menstruation is and how to manage it. That is why we're calling on Hon. Prakash Javadekar to make education about menstrual hygiene compulsory in schools. If you can do that, we will work with you to create educational tools to make it happen. And once we reach girls in schools, we would work towards reaching girls who are not a part of the formal education system."
Another key driver to normalizing menstruation is to involve boys and men, families and communities to break taboos and empower their sisters, wives, mothers and daughters. To this end, Pushing the Boundaries on the MHM Dialogue, features a discussion with R. Balki, director of the film ‘Padman" based on Arunachalam Muruganantham, the social entrepreneur from Coimbatore. R. Balki says, "Recently, menstruation as a subject has gained some mainstream attention. We must keep the momentum going and continue to delve further into questions like how can men and boys help address stigmas and taboos, is menstruation a health or human rights or sanitation challenge, what are the different types of menstrual hygiene products out there, how do women in remote regions experience menstruation."
'The Alliance strives to engage with all players working on menstrual health across the country CSOs, NGOs, policymakers, researchers, manufacturers, and technology innovators - so that we can advocate for more holistic programs and policies on menstrual health. Our aim is to encourage evidence-based action awareness generation, informed product choice, regulatory considerations and frameworks, entrepreneurship and business models, and menstrual waste management solutions," says Tanaya Mahajan, Menstrual Hygiene Alliance India.
For press queries, please write to gurpriya@dasra.org.
About Dasra
Dasra meaning ‘enlightened giving, in Sanskrit, is a pioneering strategic philanthropic organization that aims to transform India where a billion thrive with dignity and equity. Since its inception in 1999, Dasra has accelerated social change by driving collaborative action through powerful partnerships among a trust-based network of stakeholders (corporates, foundations, families, nonprofits, social businesses, government and media). Over the years, Dasra has deepened social impact in focused fields that include adolescents, urban sanitation and governance and has built social capital by leading a strategic philanthropy movement in the country.
For more information, visit www.dasra.org
About MHAI
Poor MHM caused by a combination of persisting taboos and misinformation, limited access to hygienic products and a lack of sanitation infrastructure holds back millions of women and girls around the world. The MH Alliance exists to change that. By 2030, menstruation will be a normal fact of life. Every woman and girl will be able to manage her menstruation hygienically, with confidence, with dignity and without stigma.
For more information write to mhallianceindia@gmail.com