Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
In many cases, Covid-19 has brought communities together, with people helping the needy by distributing food and groceries. But what about sanitary pads?
One day, I received a call from my domestic helper who told me that they didn’t have money to buy sanitary pads for their daughter because that was just not the priority at the moment. This made me think of how Rs.25 is a lot of money for some people and menstrual well-being isn’t an immediate priority for them.
I always knew that many women in rural areas don’t have access to menstrual hygiene supplies but after talking to a few women in local slums around my area, I realised that women in cities are using cloth strips as well. We live a privileged life which makes us think that everyone in cities uses sanitary napkins, but the reality is quite different.
I helped our domestic worker with some money, yet this led me to think about the large number of ladies like her who might not be able to follow menstrual cleanliness and use unsterilised cloth strips.
Later that day, I decided to raise a few thousands for slums in my area, but to my surprise I received a great response from everyone and raised around Rs.45,000 in just 4-5 days. I would also like to mention that 85% of my donors were male; it gave me immense happiness to see how men in our society are becoming open to talk about such issues and that they too consider menstrual health an important issue.
Even after receiving the funds, my main concern was executing the distribution. I was extremely upset when I didn’t receive any helping hand, so I planned the distribution single handedly with one of my male friends.
I started the distribution in local slums and we distributed around 1900 packs of sanitary napkins. During the donation drive, I experienced a lot of positive responses from many women. They were quite surprised to see someone distributing sanitary pads and asked me if I was selling them. I also received a lot of negative reactions; some women were too shy to take pads publicly and some said that they don’t want to use them. I was also asked by some men to get out of their area and stop this distribution. This makes me think of how menstrual health issues are still a taboo topic even in a metropolitan city.
I would like everybody to comprehend the need for menstrual hygiene and how clean and safe menstrual hygiene products are a need and not a luxury. According to some studies, only 18% of Indian women have access to menstrual hygiene. My goal is to make people aware about the importance of menstrual hygiene and prioritize the use of sanitary products.
I plan to keep distributing pads and spreading awareness about menstrual health, it’s a taboo we need to overcome now! Many women have infections or even die because people are not educated about menstrual health. We need more women to talk about their menstrual problems openly. Menstruation is a natural process and we shouldn’t shy away from talking about it.
In a country where talking about menstrual conditions is a taboo, let’s bring about the change that’s long overdue!
Image via Canva
read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
It is shameful that in today's world too, women are abused and even killed for giving birth to a girl, and the infant's life is also of no value.
Trigger Warning: This deals with domestic violence, suicide, and violence against women, and may be triggering to survivors.
I am so glad that the esteemed courts are now giving the much-required verdicts regarding certain ideologies that were not at all entertained earlier. I mean we all have studied this much biology at our school level and it is our duty (our generation) to educate our elders about it.
Why someone have to lose a life to bring such awareness to the society. Delhi High Court gave this judgement concerning a case that filed by the deceased daughter’s parents against her in-laws. She committed suicide as she was harassed and tortured for dowry and giving birth to two daughters.
Please enter your email address