New Delhi: With the world celebrating World Menstrual Hygiene Day today, it calls for introspection on how India has fared, so far menstrual hygiene is concerned, and the available reports and figures do not paint a very rosy picture.
In the 21st century India, menstruation is something that still carries the burden of being a taboo, it is still discussed in hushed tones, and in some cases not discussed at all. The stigma attached to this very natural phenomena often leads to unsafe and unsanitary menstrual hygiene practices.
A National Family Health Survey (NFHS) report, 2015-16 suggests that nearly 62 percent women in the age group of 15-24 years still rely on cloth pieces, rags, hay, ash, wood shavings, newspapers, dried leaves, or even plastic during periods.
On an average a woman menstruates for 2,250 days (450 cycles) in her lifetime as per the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP), forcing them to spend a fortune on menstrual hygiene products.
Despite the fact that only a handful of women use sanitary napkins or tampons during their periods, owing to expensive menstrual merchandise, lack of awareness or lack of availability, the Government of India, instead of making them readily available at low cost prices, has in turn imposed a 12% tax on sanitary napkins and tampons under Goods and Services Tax (GST).
“A period should end a sentence – not a girl’s education”
Apart from denting a woman's pocket, menstruation in India also affects her prospects of attaining education.
A 2015 report titled 'Spot On!' by Dasra, a Mumbai-based philanthropy foundation and the Bank of America reveals that nearly 23 million girls drop out of school annually due to lack of proper menstrual hygiene management facilities- availability of sanitary napkins and logical awareness of menstruation.
The report also came up with some startling numbers. 70 per cent of mothers with menstruating daughters considered menstruation as dirty and 71 per cent adolescent girls remained unaware of menstruation till menarche.