Menstrual hygiene is a fundamental humanitarian concern which bogs down every human rights worker. The adverse psychosocial climate in which women have woven their realities is highly stressful and a traumatic one. To ensure equality, and protection of the rights of those employed in the unorganised sector, the onus is on the government.
The Women’s Sexual, Reproductive and Menstrual Rights Act, 2018
At the Centre, “The Women’s Sexual, Reproductive and Menstrual Rights Act, 2018” was put across the table by Congress MP, Shashi Tharoor whose primary intent was, “free distribution of sanitary napkins“. The bill has put forward an amendment of “The Right to Education Act” to include the provision of free distribution of sanitary napkins by schools.
It has also directed all public authorities to guarantee free access to sanitary napkins in their workplaces. This bill seems convinced of the idea that women will attain their menstrual rights if schools and public offices rope in to provide sanitary pads free of cost.
But, if we strive to gain more in-depth insights, it has certain shortcomings. Firstly, this bill is not inclusive of all sections of society; it doesn’t reach out to certain marginalised communities. Secondly, it doesn’t address the prevailing stigmas concerning menstruation which makes the idea of the implementation incomplete.
At the State level, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, the ex-Finance Minister, Punjab introduced Swastha Kanya Yojana in 2015. One of the leading change within the bill was the budgetary allocation of ₹ 24 crores for distribution of sanitary pads for students from Grade 6 to 12 as part of the annual budget 2016-17. But, in reality, the proposed budget has not been passed yet.
A survey of 15 schools in Ludhiana, conducted in 2016 found that only 20% were aware of menstruation and menstrual hygiene. A company based project “Amodini (Happy Child) Menstrual Health and Hygiene Programme” worked towards installing pad dispensing and incinerators in government schools.
The Chief Administrator of Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), has lent a supporting hand to the initiative by launching a drive which claims to provide economical sanitary napkins to underprivileged sections of the society.
Inexpensive sanitary napkin manufacturing units have been set up in other districts including Faridkot, Ajnala and Amritsar. Diapers for aged women with chronic illnesses are also being produced. A former superintendent of an Amritsar based aftercare home, Kirtpreet Kaur, shared that women were imparted training for making such napkins, “The project was started about three years back. And 20 girls made around 3000 napkins“.
District administration of Ludhiana had inaugurated machines for creating sanitary napkins and distributed them across 28 schools in 2 years with the sole aim of providing sanitation rights to girls. A machine discharges three pads in one go, and the cost to each student would be ₹ 10.
In a similar spirit, 60 sanitary napkin producing machines have been installed in Sultanpur Lodhi district with the sight of distributing sanitary pads free of cost to girls from marginalised communities. The program has flagged off production of 15000 sanitary pads.
The female staff and volunteers have been trained and sensitised for executing the task of distribution of pads. Careful measures were adopted for ensuring effective menstrual hygiene management and efforts were made to spread awareness on the same. On the other hand, the Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) Programme launched under the National Rural Health Mission wasn’t able to set off in Punjab.
Punjab is coming up to the page by leaps and bounds. There is still a lot to be done primarily at the rural level. Effective implementation of government schemes is needed at the micro level to cover the districts which have been left untouched.
The author is a part of the current batch of the #PeriodParGyan Writer’s Training Program