CHENNAI: The women's rights organisations in Chennai have announced a public awareness campaign in connection with World Menstrual Hygiene Day, observed globally on May 28, to advocate for menstrual health rights and challenge long-standing social taboos surrounding menstruation.
The campaign, organised jointly by the Centre for Women’s Development and Research (CWDR) and the Snegithi Adolescent Girls Association, is scheduled to take place on May 30, with more than 250 adolescent girls participating.
Renuka, director of the CWDR, stated that menstruation is a natural biological process experienced by women and adolescent girls, but social stigma and discriminatory practices continue to affect their dignity, mobility, education, and overall well-being.
"In many households and communities, menstruating girls and women are still subjected to restrictions such as isolation, prohibition from entering temples, and exclusion from routine household activities due to beliefs associating menstruation with impurity," she added.
The organisations stressed that such practices create obstacles for girls pursuing education and women participating in the workforce. They also pointed out the lack of proper menstrual health education within families and institutions, despite the importance of maintaining hygiene and health during menstruation.
Hence, the campaign aims to raise awareness about menstrual hygiene, encourage open discussions in schools, and push for better sanitation facilities in educational institutions and workplaces. They urged the implementation of policy-level changes to uphold reproductive health rights promised in international agreements and sustainable development commitments.
Organisers are also demanding uninterrupted access to sanitary napkins and proper disposal systems in schools and public spaces.
Among the key demands are ensuring sexual and reproductive health rights for adolescent girls, providing free sanitary napkins to all girls and women through schools and ration shops, supplying biodegradable and high-quality sanitary products through government programmes, and improving cleanliness and hygiene in public and school toilets.
Strengthening waste management systems for the safe disposal of used sanitary products.
They also demanded that the State ensure adequate water facilities in school restrooms used by girls, introduce environmentally friendly menstrual products in schools, include menstrual hygiene and reproductive health education in school textbooks, eliminate myths and superstitions associated with menstruation through educational reforms and encourage media organisations to spread awareness that menstruation is not "impure."