When I see that toilet paper, hand soap, and paper towels are available and provided to students free of cost, I wonder why menstrual products aren’t, too.
We don’t hear about the challenges of managing menstruation as much in the U.S., but they do exist. A set of bills introduced this year to the U.S. Congress is trying to improve access to menstrual hygiene products and information.
At the spring meeting I hope World Bankers will decide to study the toll it takes when girls and women have no handy bathrooms to change napkins and tampons. We need this data to push nations and communities to improve the supply of water and toilets in workplaces.
The restrictive, isolating practice of chhaupadi, outlawed 10 years ago, is still a way of life for some girls and women in Nepal. “I am not allowed to enter the kitchen or touch any material from it,” says a 17-year-old.
Handling periods (or “menstrual hygiene management” as experts call it) isn’t the first thing one might associate with human rights. Yet the link between realization of rights for women and girls and menstrual hygiene management could not be clearer.
This site uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our privacy policy.