Where the problem lies
Every person who experiences menstruation has the right to menstrual health, irrespective of gender-identity, abilities and socioeconomic status. Persons with disabilities face significant challenges in navigating their daily lives; and those who menstruate face additional hurdles arising from the triple burden of having a disability (or disabilities), being female, and the socio-cultural aspects of menstruation.
On another end are menstruators caught in emergency situations where access to menstrual health takes a back seat in the face of a struggle for survival.
Ahead of World Menstrual Hygiene Day on 28 May 2002, WaterAid India is aligned with this year's global theme - #WeAreCommitted. And this year, we are committed to creating inclusive solutions addressing menstrual health and hygiene management in the country. Join us as we talk about how access to menstrual health and hygiene can be made better for persons with disabilities and menstruators caught in emergencies.
Some numbers to think about
Over355 million
women and girls in India are of menstruating age.
Source: Spot On! Improving Menstrual Health and Hygiene in India. Report. Dasra, Kiawah Trust, and USAID, 2014
65%
of 11.9 million women with disabilities
are in the reproductive age.
Source: Census 2011
Women and children are 14 times more likely than men to die in disasters.
Source: Women in Disasters and Conflicts in India: Interventions in View of the Millennium Development Goals, International Journal of Disaster Risk Science volume 8
Some useful reading
Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management for Persons with Disability
Landscape of menstrual products in India
Strengthening the supply chain of menstrual hygiene products in India
Menstrual health and hygiene management during emergencies: A framework for action in India
Exploring preferences, hygienic use and disposal of menstrual materials among adolescent girls
Menstrual hygiene management: Informed product choice and disposal
Meeting menstrual health and hygiene needs during emergencies – more than just sanitary pad distribution
Women and Menstrual Health Management – Seen, But Ignored
