Why do we not include sanitary pads in the list when we go to buy all the necessary things of the house? Why does the family need to be reminded that sanitary pads are also essentials?
There’s no doubt that lockdown has brought many changes in our daily life. Before lockdown, we used to check whether we have any pads at home or not, and if there were no sanitary pads, we would buy them in bulk. We never bought it with household items, it was always bought separately by either my mother or she would say, “abhi to 3-4 pads hai, aaraam se mangwa doongi”(there are still 3-4 pads that remain; I’ll call for them later)
But now the situation is very different. Shreya Tuddu, one of my friend from Thakurhanj village of Kishanganj district, Bihar says, “This time, during the lockdown, I got my periods and didn’t have enough pads at home; all stores in the market were closed, anyways only a few shops kept sanitary pads in their village. My father went to the entire village but couldn’t find a sanitary pad. Earlier, the distribution of sanitary pads in school in the village was also irregular, but at that time, it was easier to get it in the market.”
At some places of Bihar like Mirzapur, Pyarepur and villages of Gopalganj and Siwan district, there has been a stringent lockdown due to a few COVID-19 positive cases. Girls are unable to get sanitary pads, and girls from across socio-economic backgrounds have been forced to switch back to using a cloth.
Nidhi Kumari, a friend from Pyarepur, a small village in the Gopalganj district of Bihar says, “We are five girls at my home. We all have our periods around the same time, one or two days before and after. Earlier we used to go and buy pads ourselves, but now due to the lockdown, nobody from our family is going out. Instead of using pads, they gave us some old T-shirts to use.”
According to an article by The Better India, only 15% of girls in Bihar have access to sanitary pads. This data is based on a survey conducted before the lockdown, so now you can imagine how many girls must be able to use sanitary pads in this lockdown.
Saima, from Shahpur village of Chapra district in Bihar, hasn’t used cloth instead of pads for a long time. But during the lockdown, when she was unable to arrange pads for herself, she went to the Aanganwadi Centre as they used to distribute pads, but it was closed. She had no option, so her aunt gave her some instructions about the usage of cloth. She was irritated, felt uncomfortable and limited her daily activities during the time when using a piece of cloth.
I always thought that I am not going to use a cloth, but I was in the same situation as my other friends, but I later bought pads. I used a cloth with some instructions and guidelines available on trusted websites on the internet, but what about many girls who don’t have proper knowledge of using a cloth, who were earlier dependent on Anganwadi centres, schools and other community centres of village and slum?
It’s Okay To Use Clothes In Emergency Cases With Some Care
- Nothing is unhygienic about using cloths. The only thing that has to be taken care of is using a clean cotton cloth.
- Keep changing it frequently about three to four times a day.
- Keep in mind that not every cloth can to be used. Ensure it is not dirty, infected with insects and rodents.
- Depose it properly.
When I was writing this article, I asked my father to check for the availability of sanitary pads in all the food distribution centres in my locality. He visited almost all centres, including Lohanipur slum Center, Congress Maidan, Maharanpratap Bhawan and Bankipur school, Golghar centre but he didn’t find sanitary pads in their list.
This is not only happening during this COVID-19 crisis. This happens almost every time when a crisis hits the state and when sanitary pads are not considered as an essential item. I wonder why is it that people forget that they are as important as other essentials.
It should be in the list of emergency distribution items each and every time if something like this happens. Because it is the reason of each and everyone’s existence.
About the author: Priyaswara Bharti is a Child Advocate. Always ready to speak for the rights of children, adolescents, youth and to end the gender inequality and make films for bringing change in society with her main moto #Film4SocialChange. She is currently leading a group of children in Bihar named Bihar Youth For Child Rights(founded and led by her) and promoting child rights through several activities both online and offline.