Analysis on Menstrual Health: A Human Right Perspective

Menstruation or commonly known as periods are natural and vital part of the reproductive cycle of approximately half of the human population. On any given day, hundreds of millions of girls and women around the world are menstruating yet a substantial proportion of them lack knowledge and means to manage their menstrual health with dignity due to factors like gender inequality, poverty and lack of facilities coupled with religious and cultural taboos. On an average, a woman menstruates for 3000 days during her lifetime and these days often prove difficult for them due to lack of menstrual hygiene management. In the last decade significant steps have been taken in global level on this issue pushing states to include menstrual hygiene as a part of their policy making and to recognise menstrual health as human right. With the celebration of May 28 as World Menstrual Hygiene Day, slogans such as ‘break the silence’ or ‘no shame periods’ sounded as shouts of empowerment. Keeping with the same, India has also made notable progress in menstrual hygiene. However, the question of the hour is whether the steps taken have proved fruitful in achieving the desired results. Several news reports still throw light on stigmas and discriminatory practices against menstruating women such as social exclusion in places all over India. The paper analysis the strides taken in India on menstrual health and hygiene and explores into possible measures to realise the same as a human right.