Menstrual Hygiene Day
Many initiatives, online and offline, are being held to generate awareness on menstruation
Many initiatives, online and offline, are being held in the country to generate awareness about menstruation
We, as a society, have progressed in many aspects. But, there still exists a taboo in discussing matters related to menstruation. Therefore, this Menstrual Hygiene Day, a number of campaigns are being held to spur awareness, one such being the #RedDotChallenge. A UNICEF initiative, it aims to put an end to period shame and get conversations on menstrual hygiene going. It has been backed by many, includ
ing actors Jennifer Winget, Barkha Singh, influencers Masoom Minawala and Diipa Büller-Khosla, whose NGO, Post For Change, has teamed up with UNICEF India for the initiative. Showing solidarity, these women are sharing black and white pictures of themselves, with a red dot painted on their palms.
“It’s not always about the depth, it’s about whether the idea made people pause and reflect. Anything to do with menstruation might impact
you in different degrees. For some, it is limited to health and for some, just the awkwardness that comes with it, which is why it is important to talk about it,” says Minawala.
A number of NGOs are also running campaigns on ground to spread awareness. Humans for Humanity, for instance, has distributed 4.5 lakh sanitary kits amid the lockdown. “We’ve also been talking about period pain, bloating, what to eat, how to exercise and more through social media,” says
Anurag Chauhan, its founder, who feels more work needs to be done in rural areas.
Also working for this cause is Breakthrough India, a women’s rights organisation. “Menstrual hygiene has always been a part of our discussion. We organise sessions with families and try to make them comfortable. Whatever be the campaign, whether on social media or on ground, if we have a path, it does break the taboo,” says Krati Prakash from the NGO.