P'ink' it, 2022, Winner

 How does period poverty endanger women's right to dignity? What can be done to improve

access to menstrual products?

- By Aditi Singh, Winner of P'ink'it, 2022

Have you ever thought of living secluded in a ‘period hut’ for 5 days while being in pain and not being

provided with a healthy or a proper meal during that time? This is the pratha of chhaupadi practiced in

few rural areas of Nepal and apparently in India too, although the name for this practice may vary from

region to region. The menstruator is isolated and banned from conducting daily chores and is restricted

to staying in the ‘period hut’ where there is no sign of sunrays or proper ventilation during their periods.

The very fact that the menstruators are subjected to living in these kinds of situations during their

periods is a proof how culturally backward and unaware we are.

Period poverty is a state where the menstruator struggles to afford sanitary and menstrual hygiene

products and is unable to menstruate with dignity due to lack of awareness, stigma, economic inability

and poor hygienic standards. This period poverty endangers women’s right to dignity. There are

numerous reasons for period poverty that also includes our culture regarding menstruation which is

ingrained into our minds ever since we start menstruating. According to our culture, a menstruator

becomes impure during their periods and is unclean to perform daily routines of life.

Now all this goes down to one question that is how does period poverty endangers women’s right to

dignity? However, before this we need to keep in mind that ‘not all women are menstruators and not all

women menstruate’. It has been estimated that 1 out of every 5 girls in India dropout of school when

they start menstruating and on an average of 40% students in India resort to missing school while

menstruating because of the discomfort and embarrassment related to periods and lack of sanitation

facilities at schools thus putting them into vulnerable situation. This affects a student’s education badly

and they are prone to miss the possibility of creating a better future for themselves. Due to social stigma

and poor financial background many menstruators are subjected to using of unclean and unsafe

products during menstruation like rags, cloths, tissue papers etc. and aren't allowed to enter ‘sacred

places’. Some of the menstruators who use cloth during their periods are not even allowed to dry them

under the sun as it is considered unpleasant for the eyes without realizing that it could lead to numerous

genital infections, UTI’s (Urinary Tract Infections) or other kind of harmful diseases. This does not only affect the menstruator’s

physical health but mental health too. Menstruators are put through a ‘menstrual etiquette’ which is

made an obligation. Carrying sanitary pads is considered ‘smuggling’ and is seen as a humiliation. The

“pharmacy wale bhaiya” still gives us sanitary pads fully wrapped in a newspaper or a black polythene 

as if we are going to gift it to someone.

There is lack of awareness and lack of education regarding menstruation which downgrades the dignity

of the menstruator. Therefore, to improve access to menstrual products we need to raise awareness

about it. The schools should introduce mandatory classes to provide education regarding menstruation

and the right to bleed with dignity to everyone irrespective of gender from an early grade, as many

schools do provide education regarding but at a later grade whereas most of the menstruators get their

first periods before that. There should be supply of free basic menstrual and sanitation products like

pads and handwash in every school along with maintaining a ‘menstrual friendly culture’. The

government could bring major schemes which focuses solely on providing menstrual products and carry

out advertisements on a large-scale regarding purchase of sanitary products from government generic

stores which is economical and would be beneficial for the economically weaker section. Regional

committees should be appointed for examining the sanitation facilities, if they are clean enough and

suitable for a menstruator. The taxes on menstrual products should be removed entirely. The NGOs and

other organizations operating to eradicate period poverty should be encouraged to arrange workshops

frequently and should be appreciated time to time. Therefore, at an individual level we all should create

an environment where one doesn’t have to whisper to borrow a ‘whisper’, where one doesn’t have to

give signals for ‘red alert’ and where one can talk freely about menstruation without being surrounded

by cloud of shame. We should let a natural biological phenomenon as it is and manage menstruation

with dignity.

Aditi Singh,

Second year,

B.A. History Hons.,

Lady Shri Ram College for women.