On the occasion of Menstrual Hygiene Day, celebrated on May 28, 2019, PinkFlag Foundation organized a walk to Kabardanga Ground in association with Tiljola Thana (Police Station) and AGON to promote and share the message on Menstrual Hygiene Day.
The program was initiated by Pavlov Mental Hospital, Kolkata.
Menstruation which is the prestigious inaugural ceremony of womanhood is still shrouded by myths & taboos. It has many negative cultural attitudes like menstruating.
Women and girls are considered ‘contaminated’, ‘dirty’, and ‘impure’. They are forced into seclusion. Their mobility is reduced & they have food restrictions too. Unfortunately, the silence and stigma surrounding menstruation make solutions for menstrual hygiene management a low priority & often ignored by professionals. The first step is to break this silence. The approach should be holistic to give women and girls the confidence and space to voice their need for improved menstrual hygiene management. “PinkFlag Movement” is a
the consolidated approach towards Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM).
The PinkFlag Movement is aimed at targeting girls in the semi-urban and rural areas in order to improve their living standards and make it cleaner, sanitary, and more understandable to them. One of the critical aspects of this endeavor is the availability of safe and hygienic materials that can be used to capture and absorb menstrual blood. This includes clean clothes and sanitary pads.
According to the latest National Family and Health Survey, 58% of the young Indian women in the age group of 15 to 24 years use hygienic methods i.e. sanitary pads. In 2010, the numbers were 12% as noted by the Plan and AC Nielsen study.
This means that over the past few years there has been a greater awareness regarding menstrual hygiene management (MHM). Corporate and small manufacturing units have progressed to making sanitary pad affordable and available to women across the country.
