Stigma the biggest barrier in attaining menstrual hygiene and empowerment of adolescent girls and women in India
Stigma around menstruation is the biggest barrier in attaining menstrual hygiene health in India making mothers shy away from talking about menstruation and the care needed to their daughters; young girls enter puberty on their own with no support mechanism and with very little/absolutely no accurate information on their bodies, menstrual hygiene and disposal; girls/women in periods are treated as ’untouchables’ and barred from family, community and and makes girls/women avoid seeking medical care solutions.
Only 12 % of India’s girls/women use sanitary pads, 23% girls are leaving school with the onset of puberty, 200 million women out of the 355 million menstruating girls and women in India live in the dark about what menstruation and good health-hygiene practices; most believe menstruation is a burden from all the restrictions imposed on their activities during periods and causes trauma, preventing them from reaching their life aspirations and attaining happiness.