Menstrual Hygiene Among Adolescent Girls UNICEF study conduc | UPSC Current Affairs Daily

Menstrual Hygiene Among Adolescent Girls

UNICEF study conducted in 2011:
Only 13% of girls in India are aware of menstruation before menarche.
60% of girls missed school on account of menstruation,
79% faces low confidence due to menstruation and 44% were embarrassed and humiliated over restrictions.
Thereby, Menstruation adversely impacts women's education, equality, maternal and child health.

Government Schemes To Promote Menstrual Hygiene Management in India

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) (2009) includes standards for drinking water and gender-separated sanitation facilities in schools.

Menstrual hygiene scheme launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Government of India (GoI) for promotion of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls (10-19 years) in rural areas of selected districts in 2011.
From 2014 onwards scheme extended to all districts under Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram to enhance MH knowledge, improve hygiene practices, provide subsidised sanitary absorbents, and raise awareness of MHM at school.

SABLA programme of Ministry of Women and Child Development focuses on nutrition, health, hygiene and reproductive and sexual health (linked to a rural mother and childcare centres).

National Rural Livelihood Mission of the Ministry of Rural Development supports self-help groups and small manufacturers to produce sanitary pads.

Swachh Bharat Mission and Swachh Bharat: Swachh Vidyalaya (SB:SV): Menstrual hygiene management is also an integral part of the Swachh Bharat Mission and the ‘Menstrual Hygiene Management Guideline’ issued by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation(MDWS) involves the support from state governments, district administrations, engineers and technical experts inline departments; and school headteachers and teachers for its implementation.

Guidelines for Gender Issues in Sanitation (2017) 
It have been evolved by MDWS to ensure gender equality and empowerment of women and girls with respect to sanitation.
Safe and effective MHM is a trigger for better and stronger development for adolescent girls and women.
This requires that all state, district and local authorities, including schools, communities and families create an environment where menstrual hygiene management is seen as acceptable and normal.

Menstrual Hygiene Day is an annual awareness day on May 28 to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene management.
It was initiated by the German-based NGO WASH United in 2014 and aims to benefit women and girls worldwide.
In 2018, 310 organizations educated 27.2 million girls across 134 countries, about menstrual hygiene.

The National Guidelines on Menstrual Hygiene Management
It was released by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in 2015.
It seeks to address every component of menstrual hygiene ranging from, raising awareness, addressing behaviour change, creating a demand for better hygiene products, capacity building of frontline community cadre, sensitization of key stakeholders, convergence needed for effective outreach and intervention, creation of WASH facilities including safe disposal options, etc.

SOURCE: PIB