World Menstrual Hygiene Day: Theme & significance

CHENNAI: World Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) is observed on May 28 every year, coinciding with the International Day of Action for Women's Health 2022, across the world.

The day highlights the importance of menstrual care and raises awareness about the social issues faced by women during menstruation and those who don't have access to sanitary products.

For the last three years, the day has been a movement called for action and investment in menstrual health and hygiene using the hashtag #ItsTimeForAction.

In developing countries, women's choices of menstrual hygiene materials are often limited by the costs, availability, and social norms. Adequate sanitation facilities and access to feminine hygiene products are one part of the solution. Research has found that not having access to menstrual hygiene management products can keep girls home from school during their period each month.

Here is how it started:

Way back in 2012, several org involved in public health began to break the silence on its Month (MHM) and turn the issue globally, including grassroots organisers, social entrepreneurs, and United Nations agencies. In May 2013, German-based organization NGO WASH United used a 28-day social media campaign called "May #MENSTRAVAGANZA" to generate awareness about menstruation and MHM as important considerations within the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) development initiatives with the support of over 270 global partners.

On 28 May 2014, many people around the world celebrated Menstrual Hygiene Day for the first time with rallies, exhibitions, movie screenings, workshops, and speeches.

In 2015, a hashtag campaign by WaterAid on social media lent a light-hearted look at challenging societal norms with the tag #IfMenHadPeriods where people created videos spoof ads in which men are proud of having their periods and used manpons instead of tampons. The campaign helped to raise awareness about women who don't have access to 'safe water, hygiene, and sanitation,' when periods come along and also helped in bringing men into the conversation so that they could help tackle the stigma in largely patriarchal societies and encourage women and girls to embrace their cycle with pride instead of shame.

In 2015, celebrations in Uganda kicked off with a march to the Parliament where a charter on MHM was signed and then the march continued to the National Theatre for presentations by primary and secondary schools under the theme "Let‘s end the hesitation around menstruation".

In 2017, there were about 350 events in 54 countries that included educational events in schools, community rallies, concerts to raise awareness, advocacy workshops with governments, and product donations on MH Day.

Last year's MH Day theme was "Action and Investment in Menstrual Hygiene and Health" and several Bollywood celebrities not just donated sanitary napkins to ensure a safe period, but also came together to support the cause and make menstrual hygiene an everyday thing.

Interestingly, the reason that May 28 was chosen is that May is the 5th month of the year and most women average to having their period for 5 days, and their cycle tends to be at 28 days. So in a way, the 28 of May. According to UNFPA, May 28 signifies the menstrual cycle of females.

Theme & Vision for MHM 2022:

The theme for this year is “To create a world where no women or girl is held back because they menstruate, by 2030” and the vision is to build a world where every woman has access to and afford menstrual products of their choice and about making menstruation a normal subject to talk about (Break the taboos and end the stigma).

How to celebrate this day:

In some parts of the world, the simple act of menstruation is a subject of shame. You can donate to different charities to help the right information being sent to schools and ensure that women in such places are given the support they need.

Perhaps today is a good day to write to your MP about the tampon tax, or you could perhaps look at the fascinating history of menstrual health? On this day, make sure that you get involved in the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #mensturalhygieneday!

For this year, the 2022 campaign will use the #WeAreCommitted hashtag and will be used by organisations across the world to publicly announce what they are committed to contributing to the overreaching goal and set an example for others to follow.

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