The difficulties facing girls and women across the world in relation to menstrual health and hygiene are numerous and unacceptable. The topic of menstrual health continues to be a taboo subjected to shame and stigma. The lack of access to information, education, and products to manage one’s period with dignity and pride are essential. More than 500 million girls and women worldwide are not able to manage their period hygienically and with dignity. Ultimately, this puts girls and women at risk of infection and disease, of early pregnancy, and of missing out on an education.

With this campaign, we share a common goal of putting menstrual hygiene on the agenda. We will do so with reference to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDGs). As we kick off the dialogue, we aim to improve girls and women’s health, rights and opportunities for quality education, gender equality, and safe sanitation and hygiene (SDG 3, 4, 5 and 6).

Ms Sheezan Rasool is a social worker by profession and is the first menstrual health activist of Jammu and Kashmir. Working on the extremely sensitive issue like menstrual health rights of women in a conflict zone like J&K and addressing the basic menstrual health rights of women living on borders, she is doing what no one has done before.

Participating Countries: South Africa, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Romania, India, Namibia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Malawi, Senegal, Poland, Tanzania, Uganda, England, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, The Philippines, Ghana, Jordan, USA, Nepal, Zimbabwe, Ecuador, Laos.

• Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) refers to the process of living with menstruation, and depends on three overall aspects:

1. Knowledge about menstruation, puberty and how to practice good MHM.
2. Products: Clean materials to absorb or collect menstrual blood.
3. WASH facilities: Private and clean toilet facilities to change sanitary materials as often as necessary, as well as proper disposal facilities for soiled materials.

• At least 500 million women and girls globally lack adequate facilities for MHM.[1]
• According to UNESCO, more than 132 million girls worldwide are missing out on school. [2]
• Some of the reasons are lack of information and education on MHM, a lack of sanitary menstrual hygiene products, period poverty, and a lack of sanitary toilet facilities.[3]

In some societies, girls and women are considered “unclean” while on their period, and thus for that reason excluded from school as well as from other social events.

• The COVID-19 Pandemic has intensified the already existing challenges that relates to MHM, and it is estimated by UNESCO that 11 million girls, in addition to the 132 million, will not return to school when they open again.[1]
• In relation to COVID-19, PLAN International recommends: Governments must invest in inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene services and facilities; build MHM into Covid-19 health responses; Include MHM in remote learning curriculums; Apply a strong inclusive and participatory lens in the COVID-19 response.