Periods Don’t Stop During Pandemics: A Petition To Subsidise Sanitary Pads

My name is Sanjina Gupta, and I am a menstrual health educator from Kolkata.

I have started a petition on change.org to address the fact that people still bleed during the pandemics and lockdown, and need sanitary napkins. With so much uncertainty regarding the lockdown and the subsequent economic impact, which is likely to grow bigger, we have to look at how this will impact a menstruator’s rights to access menstrual health products.

My major ask in the petition is to request the West Bengal Government, and to bring to their attention to, the need to make commercial sanitary napkins available in West Bengal at a subsidised rate during the lockdown period, and for a few days after the lockdown has been lifted.

While our government is making bio-degradable pads available at Jan Aushadhi Centres at subsidised rates, in reality, a huge percentage of menstruators in urban as well as rural Bengal use commercial brands like Whisper, Stayfree, and others. Given the financial hit that daily wage workers and other low-income groups are facing, buying food items take precedence over accessing menstrual products.

Menstrual health is the least priority in most households, however, that does not change the fact that people will continue to experience menstruation even in lockdown. Women’s mobility has been adversely affected, where they cannot go travel much to access their menstrual products.

With all manufacturers and suppliers (private) running their operations with a reduced workforce, the continuous, and smooth, supply of sanitary napkins is getting hindered.

Also, given the fact that a lot of families are having to experience a financially challenging time, buying commercial brands of sanitary napkins becomes a luxury for many households

Women from lower-middle-class families are also facing a challenge where they are having to choose between either accessing sanitary napkins and other household essentials. And, even if they can access it, the high prices of commercial sanitary napkins act as a challenge because the family would rather buy groceries and other medicines over menstrual products.

As per the recent addendum released by the Central Home Secretary, in addition to the Order passed to implement lockdown measures under the Disaster Management Act,2005, sanitary napkins are covered under the broad heading of in ‘Groceries’, [dated: March 29, 2020, DO no. 40-3/2020-DM-I(A)] and it clearly mentions sanitary napkins as an essential product.

Honestly, it is a much-needed initiative which curbed a lot of confusion among citizens. However, as an additional measure, we need to ensure that young girls, women, and menstruators get to access the products, and they don’t face a situation where they have to choose food over sanitary napkins.

As a menstrual health educator, I have been working with young women and girls across urban and rural spaces for a long time, and it is on all of their behalf that I am urging the West Bengal Government and commercial sanitary pads manufacturer Procter and Gamble (Whisper napkins) and Johnson & Johnson (Stayfree napkins).

I urge them to look into this matter immediately to facilitate the immediate subsidisation of sanitary napkins produced by commercial brands like Whisper, Stayfree, Sofy, and more and ensure a seamless supply of the same at all pharmacies, general grocery stores, local ICDS centres and/or Public Distribution System (Fair Price Shops) at the earliest.

I have already sent individual letters to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the finance department, the State Ministry of Women and Child Development and the State Home Secretary, West Bengal. I am reaching out to readers on this wonderful platform that is YKA to sign this petition to simultaneously act and put pressure on the government to take my request into consideration, and ensure affordable access to menstrual products for women, young girls and all menstruators during this lockdown.

Please sign this, spread this, and help amplify this! You can access the petition here.

#BattleAgainstCovid #BleedingInTheTimeOfPandemic