When talking about the necessity of Good Sanitation, Drinkable Water, and Proper Hygiene being Public Health concerns, often the most basic hygiene needs of about half the world’s population, Menstrual Hygiene Management, are overlooked. When poor sanitation is a Public Health issue, period poverty should be too.
Period poverty is not just an inability to afford sanitary products. It is also about having poor sanitation facilities, poor disposal of menstrual waste, no information about menstrual hygiene management, and no stigma associated with the issue. In India, millions of women do not have enough facilities to manage their periods hygienically. This has been shown by various surveys conducted in different parts of India, indicating poor menstrual product usage patterns among all socio-economic groups, educational levels, castes, and geographic regions. Women in rural and poorer areas suffer the most.( as per the National Family Health Survey 2019-2022 ,sample of 49,136 SC, 44,392 ST, and 41,045 General caste women in the age group of 15 to 24 years. )
The list of consequences goes beyond embarrassment and discomfort. Poor sanitation during periods and poor materials used during Menstrual Management may cause infections in the reproductive and urinary tract systems. School-going girls miss classes due to poor sanitation facilities in schools and fear of being embarrassed. Millions of women reduce their mobility, participation in work and Education.
It is also an issue of Health Inequality. The provision of menstrual hygiene depends on variables such as income level, education, media influence, and even sanitation facilities at home. While various government policies and Menstrual Hygiene Management programs have helped to enhance the knowledge base and access to these products, considerable inequalities exist in access, availability, and social acceptance among the SC and ST women in India.
Good Public Health will never be realised where menstruation is surrounded by secrecy and shame. Menstrual health is a basic requirement for sanitation, gender equality, and human dignity. Provision of affordable menstrual products, provision of sanitary toilet facilities, enhancement of menstrual knowledge, and making discussions about periods normal is not welfare, but good Public Health Practice.
This is because, whenever girls miss classes, women risk infections, or their dignity suffers owing to a natural biological phenomenon; it is not a personal issue anymore; it has become a public health issue. Period poverty is sanitation poverty. It is health poverty.