Visakhapatnam: Girls encouraged to make menstrual health a priority

Visakhapatnam: Decades before, discussing menstrual health was considered a taboo for varied reasons, more so due to stigma surrounding menstruation.

Today, a number of urban girls are quite communicative about the symptoms they undergo during their monthly cycle. Some even share best practices with their friends.

As women go through uncomfortable symptoms before, during and after their monthly cycle, not many discuss them with others. “One of the main reasons for the silent suffering is the stigma associated with menstruation. The discussion is often hushed up as women were expected to go through pain during the monthly cycle without any complaints,” recalls VK Nirmala, a parent.

But things are slowly but steadily changing. Thanks to increased awareness drives carried out by a bunch of NGOs and educational institutions.From underlining the importance of maintaining menstrual hygiene to educating the school-going girls to make informed choices and suggesting to opt for safe and quality period supplies, NGO representatives and volunteers join hands to impart best practices to be followed during menstruation to girls.

Calling for a collective effort to end period poverty and make safe period supplies accessible to all sections, national director of Rural Development Welfare Society (RDWS) Ooha Mahanthi underlines the need to initiate strategic collaborations with the local NGOs to make significant strides in combating period poverty.

Even as there is an apparent change among urban women, many in rural regions confine themselves to unhygienic practices during their monthly cycle. “In a number of developing countries, the inability to afford quality menstrual products not only affects physical health but also infringes upon fundamental rights, perpetuates gender inequality and deepens social and economic disparities,” she expresses concern.

With the current year’s theme focusing on ‘Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld’, Ooha Mahanthi shares that partnering with Save the Child Foundation, the RDWS has been distributing menstrual hygiene products to the needy girls by reaching out to them in various parts of the world, including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. “Together, we can break the silence surrounding menstruation, eliminate period poverty and pave the way for a better world for every girl,” she opines.

Besides the NGOs, some of the educational institutions too contributed to the endeavour. As a part of its CSR extension activity, 25 MBA students of Vignan’s Institute of Information Technology (VIIT) came together to build awareness about maintaining menstrual hygiene on May 28 observed as the ‘Menstrual Hygiene Day’. Gynecologist Dr. Indira spoke about the importance of making period health a priority. Later, sanitary pads were distributed to girls free of cost.