Even after celebrating the 74th Independence Day, India has some emerging issues since India got independence. In the areas like Bihar, Jharkhand, U.P. and many rural vicinities, the problem of menstrual hygiene is still being faced by many women as well as girls. Many times, they can’t afford and sometimes they don’t have the knowledge.

According to The National Health Family Survey, 62% of young women in our country were still using cloth for menstrual protection till 2016 and in the areas of Uttar Pradesh the figure was 81%. That is why there is not much to cheer when Menstrual Hygiene Day comes on 28 May.

Looking forward to this problem, U.P. Government inaugurated a programme Kishori Suraksha Yojana in 2015. Under this scheme, girls from classes 6 to 12 are eligible to receive free sanitary napkins. As it was reported that 28 lakh girls miss their schools during periods every month. The number of girls in classes 6 to 12 is 10.86 million, according to a report of National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration.

As UNICEF points out, “A lack of information about menstruation leads to damaging misconceptions and discrimination and can cause girls to miss out on normal childhood experience and activities”.

In rural areas, there is 71.4% use of unhygienic menstrual protection like cloth and/ or cotton. Usage of soft cotton cloth as a menstrual blood absorbent is only safe if it is clean, washed and then dried beneath sunlight. Only then can bacterial infections be kept at bay. But most of the things in these are not taken care in the rural areas and vaginal infections are a common problem among girls and it will further lead to allergies and diseases.

From last 5 months, no pads are being provided due to Covid 19 lockdown in the country and schools will remain close till any further orders. As schools shut, so does the supply of sanitary pads to girls going to schools. They are again suffering from the same problem and risky while using cloth when their periods begin. Because this time they won’t be getting free sanitary napkins from their schools like earlier.

Now when the situation is getting back to normal, the State Government should also focus on providing them the napkins under the scheme with the help of local administration.

The problem of menstrual cycle is very common for us but for many it is not. Here we can easily purchase the sanitary napkins and use them but those women cannot. So, if you can help women in such a situation, you should be providing them sanitary napkins.

If you have ever helped someone in such situation, do share your experience with us in the Comment Section.