Menstruation Matters

MENSTRUAL HYGIENE MANAGEMENT HAS A STAGGERING IMPACT ON GIRLS, THEIR COMMUNITIES & THE  ENVIRONMENT

Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) describes access to adequate materials, information, and support with which to manage menstruation in a healthy, safe, and dignified manner.

Menstruation-related school absenteeism increases a girl’s risk of:

• Reduced educational attainment and school dropout
• Lost economic opportunities
• Poor reproductive health
• Economic dependency
• Early marriage

Menstruation causes girls throughout the world to miss crucial days of education or even dropout of school altogether. When girls lack menstrual products and information about their periods, they are less likely to engage fully in school and may have trouble participating or concentrating in class, which can negatively impact their impact and learning compared to their male peers.

As part of its initiatives to empower women, the Odisha government today launched a scheme to provide free sanitary napkins to school girls across the state.

The scheme will be implemented by the health and family welfare department of the state at a cost of 70 crore per year, a senior government official said.

"In continuation with our pro-women initiatives, Government of Odisha announced the scheme 'KHUSHI'. Under the scheme, the state will provide free sanitary napkins to 17 lakh girls studying in Classes 6 to 12 in government and government-aided schools,"