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Advancing
Education
References: 1. UNICEF, Soap Stories, 2012. 2. UNICEF, Menstrual Hygiene in Schools, 2013. 3. Dasgupta & Sarkar, Menstrual Hygiene: How Hygienic is the Adolescent Girl? 2008. 4. Caruso et al., WASH In Schools Empowers Girls Education in Freetown, Sierra Leone, 2013. Report on Rural MHM, 2011. 5. The Netherlands Development Organization/ IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre: Study on menstrual management in Uganda 6. Africanews, Sanitary Towels for Kenyan Teenage Schools Girls, 2011. 7. IBID. 8. Montgomery et al., Sanitary Pad Interventions for Girls’ Education in Ghana, 2012. 9. See www.menstrualhygieneday.org/partner
Use these facts to start the conversation about menstruation
In her words:
“I hate menstruation because I have to miss school during those days and I love my school. There are no facilities where I can change and dispose menstrual waste
which is why my mother always makes me stay home.”
-‐ Kishori from Bettiah, India
Image: WASH United
The Challenges
1. In India, 66 % of girls-‐only schools do not have functioning toilets.
2. 83% of girls in Burkina Faso and 77% in Niger have no place at school to change their sanitary menstrual materials.
3. 32.5% of schoolgirls from South Asia had not heard about menstruation prior to menarche and an overwhelming 97.5% did not know that menstrual blood came from the uterus.
4. In Sierra Leone, girls who are normally active classroom participants sit in the back because they worried about
emitting an odor or leaking through their clothes while menstruating.
5. A study at a school in Uganda found that half of the girl pupils missed 1-‐3 school days a month, or 8-‐24 school days a year.
6. UNESCO estimates that 1 in 10 African girls miss school during menses, eventually leading to a higher school drop out rate.
7. In Ghana, girls miss up to 5 days a month attributed to inadequate sanitation facilities and the lack of sanitary products at school as well as physical discomfort due to menstruation, such as cramps.
The Good News
8. A Ghanian study found that girls’ attendance increased substantially after receiving free sanitary pads and puberty education.
9. Many NGOs & social businesses are making enormous progress on delivering menstrual hygiene education, like designing fun and games-‐based curricula that engages both boys and girls.
www.menstrualhygieneday.org
Menstrual hygiene is fundamental to
#Menstruation Matters
Girls’ right to education is being violated through inadequate menstrual hygiene education, insufficient water and sanitation facilities, and poor access to sanitary menstrual materials. Menstrual hygiene facilities and services keep girls in school where they can reach their full potential.
The Challenges
1. 48% of girls in Iran, 10% in India and 7% in Afghanistan believe that menstruation is a disease.
2. In Uganda, pain and physical discomfort due to menstrual cramps are common reasons for missing school. Since the majority of girls do not have access to pain management (such as painkillers) they prefer to stay in bed and avoid physical activities.
3. In rural India, many women and girls use unsanitary materials such as old rags, husks, dried leaves, grass, ash, sand or newspapers because they do not have access to affordable, hygienic and safe products and facilities.
4. Commercial menstrual pads can be too expensive for low-‐income girls and women to afford. In Mukuru in Nairobi, many girls aged 10-‐19 have reported having sex with older men to pay for basic items, such as pads.
5. In urban India, 43%-‐88% of girls use reusable cloth, yet they are often washed without soap or clean water.
6. Poor menstrual hygiene, stigmas and lack of information may result in more stress, fear, shame and social exclusion.
The Good News7. There are many natural ways to help
alleviate period pain including applying warmth to the lower belly, following a
healthy diet low in salt, sugar, alcohol and caffeine and practicing relaxation techniques such as yoga.
8. In Bangladesh, MHM has recently been integrated into the National Hygiene Promotion Program.
9. The Kenyan government will spend over USD $2 million to provide pads to 678,770 disadvantaged school girls.
References: 1. WSSCC, A tide of change in India, 2012. 2. Kivuvani, An Assessment of Baseline Menstrual Hygiene Practices and School Absenteeism in Western Uganda, 2013. 3. Torondel & Sumpter, 2013. 4. http://buff.ly/1kqpbsp 5. Dasgupta & Sarkar, Menstrual hygiene: How hygienic is the adolescent girl?2008. 6. US National Library of Medicine, NIH, 2014. 7. http://buff.ly/1lK2X1L 8. WaterAid, Menstrual Hygiene Matters, 2012. 9.East African Business Week, Kenya sanitary pads use stays low, April 07, 2014 http://www.busiweek.com/index1.php?Ctp=2&pI=905&pLv=3&srI=47&spI=28&cI=10
Good Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) requires access to:
• accurate information
• affordable hygienic materials
• adequate water, sanitation & hygiene
(WASH) facilities
• safe disposal of used sanitary
materials
Image: WASH United
Menstrual hygiene is fundamental to
Ensurin
g He
alth
Poor menstrual hygiene not only affects physical health, but also social and mental well-‐being, thus is a violation of the human right to health.
Use these facts to start the conversation about menstruationwww.menstrualhygieneday.org
#Menstruation Matters
Strengthening
the Econom
y
The Challenges
1. Poor quality toilets, lack of access to water and poor facilities for disposing menstrual waste at the workplace result in many women missing work during menstruation.
2. In one study by HERProject, 73% of the Bangladeshi garment workers they interviewed miss work for an average of 6 days per month (resulting in unpaid work days) due to vaginal infections caused by unsanitary menstrual materials.
3. Often, male managers do not understand why women need to use the toilet more frequently while menstruating. This adds
to women’s discomfort and shame, which may result in women missing work.
4. In Bangladesh, inadequate sanitation for women and girls is estimated to cost $21,750,000 due to health costs and absence from school and work.
The Good News
5. Looking at current market trends, more and more women in developing countries are getting access to hygienic menstrual products.
6. Social enterprises such as Azadi (India), AfriPads (Uganda), SHEnterprises (pictured above, in Rwanda), Zana Africa (Kenya) and Huru (Kenya) sell sanitary products that are produced locally,
creating jobs and affordable sanitary pads in the communities.
7. In parts of India, women’s self-‐help groups are starting their own businesses by buying semi-‐automated machines that can produce 200 -‐ 250 pads a day.
8. To reduce costs and stimulate the market for sanitary pads, Kenya eliminated the sales tax on menstrual products in 2011.
References: 1. WaterAid, Menstrual Hygiene Matters, 2012. 2. Her Project, Female Factory Workers’ Health Needs Assessment: Bangladesh, 2010. 3. WaterAid, Menstrual Hygiene Matters, 2012. 4. World Bank, Economic Impacts of Sanitation, Bangladesh, 2012. 5. Sebastian et al., Needs and Trends in Menstrual Management: A Global Analysis (unpublished) 6. See Menstrual Hygiene Day partners. 7. Venema, The Indian Sanitary Pad Revolutionary, 2014 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-‐26260978 8. Morohasy, Menstrual Sanitation is Not Just a ‘Lady Issue’, 2013 http://newint.org/blog/2013/07/25/menstrual-‐sanitation-‐development-‐education/
Tips for good MHM practices in the workplace:
‣ Provide single-‐sex restrooms with water, soap and waste disposal facilities
‣ Have a supply of sanitary pads available
‣ Implement policies that acknowledge women’s needs during menstruation, such as additional breaks.
Image: Dany Karemera/SHE
Menstrual hygiene is fundamental to
When women’s sanitary needs are not met at the workplace, businesses and the economy suffer. Investing in menstrual hygiene can provide great business opportunities as well as create local jobs.
www.menstrualhygieneday.org
Use these facts to start the conversation about menstruation
#Menstruation Matters
Protecting the
Environm
ent
The Challenges
1. Many commercial tampons and pads can contain harsh chemicals including pesticides and dioxin, a serious environmental pollutant. In landfills, these substances can leach into the groundwater, causing pollution and health concerns.
2. The average North American woman will use and throw away about 11,000 tampons in her lifetime.
3. Disposable products such as tampons and pads require hundreds of years to biodegrade, especially if wrapped in plastic.
4. In places lacking a waste disposal infrastructure, it is common to see used feminine hygiene products on public
streets, which can potentially cause public health problems.
5. Incorrect disposal of used sanitary products can result in clogged toilets and breakdowns in sanitation systems. This increases the operation and maintenance costs and can also lead to public health problems.
6. Environmentally-‐friendly alternative solutions include reusable, washable sanitary pads and menstrual cups. Both options should only be used where there is access to water and soap.
The Good News7. Sustainable solutions are growing
increasingly popular in developed countries such as the US and Canada.
8. Social businesses partner with NGOs to provide menstrual cups and reusable pads to women and girls in places like Kenya, Bangladesh and South Sudan.
References: 1. US Food & Drug Administration, Menstrual Tampons & Pads, 2005. 2. National Research Center for Women & Families, Tampon Safety, 2010. 3. US Environmental Protection Agency, Waste, Recycling & Disposal, 2008. 4. RubyCup, Roadmap to Success, 2013. 5. Roma et al., MHM practices in three high schools of eThekwini, UNICEF, 2013. 6. Scott et al., Sanitary Pad Acceptability and Sustainability Study, 2013. 7. Sebastian et al., Needs and Trends in Menstrual Management: A Global Analysis (not published). 8. See Menstrual Hygiene Day partners.
Sustainable solutionsLocally-‐produced reusable pads
-‐ Create jobs and generate local income
-‐ Cost-‐effective and creates less waste
compared to disposable product
-‐ Safe and hygienic (if access to clean water,
soap, and a safe place to dry is ensured)
-‐ Can be used for up to 1 year
Menstrual cups -‐ Cost-‐effective and creates less waste
compared to disposable products
-‐ Safe and hygienic (if access to clean water
and soap is ensured)
-‐ Can be used for up to 10 years
Image: RubyCup
Menstrual hygiene is fundamental to
www.menstrualhygieneday.org
Use these facts to start the conversation about menstruation
#Menstruation Matters
Disposable menstrual hygiene products can affect the environment in different ways, however sustainable options are gaining popularity.
lorem ipsum dolor met set quam nunc parum
Realising
Human Rights
References: Quote: WSSCC: From Celebrating Womanhood, 2013. 1. Deepa & Morgan, Pavement Dwellers’ Sanitation Activities, 2007. 2. Winkler & Roaf, Taking the Bloody Linen out of the Closet, Menstrual Hygiene as a Priority for Achieving Gender Equality (unpublished). 3. UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, Yemen, 2008. 4. Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners,1955, 1957, 1977. 5. Chagai, Judicial Response to Reproductive Rights -‐ Nepal, 2008.
The Challenges
1. All human rights stem from the fundamental right to human dignity. When women and girls are forced into seclusion, must use damp and soiled materials, or fear smelling or leaking due to inadequate MHM, dignity is difficult to maintain.
2. A lack of adequate MHM denies women and girls their right to education, right to health, and right to work in favourable conditions.
3. Many girls drop out of school when they start menstruating due for reasons sometimes related to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) at school
and/or harsh menstrual taboos. This signifies discrimination, hampers gender equality and infringes on their right to education.
4. While the UN Basic Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners demand that men be able to shave, there is no provision to ensure that women can manage their menstruation adequately.
The Good News
5. In 2003, ‘chhaupadi’, a practice that forces menstruating women and girls to sleep in separate huts or sheds (and subjects them to other harsh restrictions), was declared discriminatory
and a violation of women’s rights by the Nepali Supreme Court. The Court ordered the government to raise awareness about the practice, to take social measures to eliminate the tradition and to enact laws to eradicate ‘chhaupadi’. Despite this legislative progress, in many rural areas, the practice is still widely observed.
“Stigma around menstruation and menstrual hygiene is a violation of several
human rights, most importantly, of the right to human dignity... and the right to
freedom from inhuman, degrading treatment from abuse and violence.”
-‐ Dr. Jyoti Sanghera, Head of Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, UN OHCHR
Image: Irise International
Menstrual hygiene is fundamental to
Ensuring good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) can support the fulfillment of several basic human rights.
www.menstrualhygieneday.org
Use these facts to start the conversation about menstruation
#Menstruation Matters
The Challenges
1. Many boys lack accurate information about menstruation due to insufficient sexual/reproductive education at school and at home.
2. Men’s and boys’ knowledge is sometimes laced with negative stereotypes, reinforcing the negative stigmas attached to menstruation.
3. Many males in the U.S. reported learning about menstruation primarily from sisters, mothers or through tampon commercials on TV.
4. The lack of information about menstruation often results in a lack of empathy by boys and men. Menstrual-‐
related teasing and harassment is common. Many men think menstruation is something to be avoided or looked down upon.
5. Fathers are often the breadwinners and decision-‐makers in families, especially in developing countries. Educating them to MHM is crucial because they determine if funds are available to buy sanitary products.
The Good News
6. Many new educational resources that address adolescent changes are becoming available to both boys and girls.
7. There are many men working to de-‐stigmatise and break the silence around menstruation by advocating for improved MHM.
8. Building capacities of male NGO practitioners is helping mainstream MHM into Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) programmes.
In his words:
“The first time I can remember hearing about menstruation was probably around sixth grade. I remember my peers joking about periods and blood often. It always seemed like something that guys could make jokes about to make girls seem
embarrassed or to seem superior to them.”
-‐ Anonymous boy, United States
Changing
Attitudes
References: Quote: Allen, K. et al. More than just a punctuation mark: how boys & young men learn about menstruation, 2011. 1. Cheng et al.,Taiwanese adolescents' gender differences in knowledge & attitudes towards menstruation, 2007. 2. IBID. 3. Allen, K et al., More Than Just a Punctuation Mark: How Boys & Young Men Learn About Menstruation, 2011. 4. IBID + McMahon et al., The girl with the period is the one to hang her head, 2011. 5. Piper-‐Pillitteri, School MHM, 2011. 6. http://www.growandknow.org/ 7. Refer to WaterAid, Menstrual Hygiene Matters, Module 2.4 http://www.wateraid.org/~/media/Files/Global/MHM%20files/Module2_LR.pdf . 8. WSSCC, http://buff.ly/1lMlPNF Contributors: Gauthami Penakalapati.
Image: WASH United
Boys & men are fundamental to
Educating boys and men helps dispel myths, stigmas and negative perceptions about menstruation. Bringing them into conversations about menstruation helps to create a supportive environment for girls and women.
www.menstrualhygieneday.org
Use these facts to start the conversation about menstruation
#Menstruation Matters
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