Every year, World Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed on May 28. The date May 28 was chosen to observe the day because on an average the menstrual cycle for most women is 28 days and the menstruation period for most women is for five days. Hence, the date was kept as 28/5.
World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2020 theme is ‘Periods in Pandemic’.
It aims to raise awareness about the use of sanitary napkins. It also aims at providing this ‘essential’ commodity to those who do not have access to it. This is significant as the National Family Health Survey, 2015-16 suggests, only 57.6 per cent women in India use sanitary napkins.
Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) is a global advocacy platform that brings together the voices and actions of non-profits, government agencies, individuals, the private sector and the media to promote good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for all women and girls. More specifically, MH Day:
- breaks the silence, raises awareness and changes negative social norms around MHM, and
- engages decision-makers to increase the political priority and catalyse action for MHM, at global, national and local levels.
Read more here.
On the eve of World Menstrual Hygiene Day, a webinar on sanitary pad making was organised in Panchkula, by social activist Renu Mathur, who is associated with many women empowerment activities, Tribune India has reported .
A ‘red mehndi’ campaign to promote menstrual hygiene
Proudly displaying big ‘red mehndi’ dots on their palms, over 400 teenage girls in 32 slums in Odisha’s Berhampur are propagating messages of menstrual hygiene in their areas.
It is their ‘red dot challenge’ to celebrate Menstruation Hygiene Day on May 28. They will continue the campaign even after it. Utilising the relaxation of lockdown restrictions, they came out of their homes from May 25 to strengthen their campaign against stigma and superstitious unhygienic practices related to menstruation. As a precaution against COVID-19, they do not forget to wear masks and maintain social distance, reported The Hindu.
