Poor menstrual hygiene graph has increased during lockdown: NGO

Asserting that poor menstrual graph has increased during the lockdown, a non-government organization (NGO) said it has been distributing sanitary pads to needy women, including migrant laborers, in and around the national capital at free of cost. So far, the NGO – SheWings – has distributed at least 30,000 sanitary napkins during the lockdown period, according to a statement.

"To those facing a crisis during the period of lockdown, women have been the worst affected. They have been experiencing advancement in the pressure to do household work, the scarcity of sanitary products to take care of their menstrual health, and the health problems that arise as a result. The poor menstrual graph has increased during the lockdown," it said. The Noida-based NGO said while schools, the main distribution channel for the government to distribute sanitary napkins are closed and the production houses have halted the production of sanitary napkins, it has become difficult for girls and women to access quality sanitary products. "To combat the crisis to an extent, SheWings has distributed around 30,000 sanitary napkins amidst the lockdown," the statement issued by the NGO said.

The NGO also manufactures affordable sanitary napkins at its factory in Haryana, where most of the employees are women. On the occasion of Menstrual Hygiene Day on Thursday, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani called for educating not only girls but also boys that menstruation is not a matter of shame.

Menstrual Hygiene Day highlights the importance of good menstrual hygiene management. It also seeks to break taboos and negative practices around menstruation like enforced social exclusion of women and girls during their periods.