Girls in rural areas are struggling to receive support, says Soha
I strongly felt that I wanted to do something which had a direct impact on girls in need. SOHA ALI KHAN ACTOR
The pandemic has made the hygiene situation even more difficult for a lot of women and girls, especially in rural parts of our country,” says Soha Ali Khan. The actor believes that the road to ensuring menstrual hygiene continues to be a key issue. A while ago, hence, she extended a helping hand to women to ensure that they’ve access to sanitary napkins.
She says, “Reports suggest that women and girls are worst hit, due to work mounting up at home, lack of access to hygiene products and girls dropping our of schools permanently because of financial challenges. I strongly felt that I wanted to do something which had a direct impact on girls in need.”
Khan points out that the rural-urban divide became more prominent during the health crisis.
She explains, “In urban areas, underprivileged women are managing with the help of NGOs that distribute sanitary napkins. However, girls in rural areas are struggling to receive the support they had before the pandemic hit. Many girls who had access to sanitary solutions through their schools now no longer have that support as schools are closed.”
The actor believes that while it’s important for the economy to start opening up, it’s important to practice social distancing as well. She says, “In other parts of the world where lockdowns have not been imposed, people have done voluntary social distancing and companies have followed protocols like having minimal staff working and ensuring social-distancing norms when in public. We need to do the same here.”
The new normal, according to her, is going to be all about prioritising health and safety.
“The crisis is far from over. We need to follow the norms using our own sense of social responsibility,” she concludes.