Menstrual hygiene: Not yet out of the woods

Menstrual hygiene: Not yet out of the woods (Photo: iStock)

Menstrual Hygiene Day takes place every year on May 28 and has grown into a massive global movement over the past 10 years.

This year, the event was commemorated in different parts of the country, with a clarion call of “Together for a Period-friendly World”, urging collective action to ensure that menstruation does not limit access to education, health, or opportunity.

Menstrual Hygiene Day was first celebrated in 2014 to raise awareness that investments in menstrual health can yield transformative impacts on girls’ and women’s lives.

For Jedidah Lemaron, it is a day that is marked with pride as a woman. A leader in matters of sexual and reproductive health, the day holds a significant meaning when it comes to matters of hygiene for menstruating women.

“Over the years, we have seen more new entrants into the field, and this means that more girls are accessing sanitary products. We have also seen an increase in the usage of reusable products, which is good for the environment,” she tells Eve Woman.

“The thematic day has also been great in helping centre the conversation around the topic, only that I wish we could carry on the conversation with the same zeal throughout the year,” she points out.

“On this Menstrual Hygiene Day, we took to the streets of Kajiado with the Uzuri wa Hedhi game, sparking conversations, breaking period stigma while having fun.

“We are creating a #periodfriendlyworld by having honest and real conversations on menstrual health with men and women. We need to keep on advocating for a world where periods are accepted as a natural, normal occurrence,” she says.

For many girls and young women, the topic remains taboo in most parts of the continent, not just the country.

The impact of this is immense, as only 2 in 5 schools globally offer menstrual health education, and just 1 in 3 have bins for menstrual waste. Recent data from the UN on SDG 6, shows a 15 per cent average rate of menstrual-related absenteeism from school, with studies in Sub-Saharan Africa reporting rates as high as 31 per cent.

“When talking about absenteeism, we need to look at the overall picture of infrastructure: safe toilets, safe water, safe products, and safe disposals,” Jedidah says.

She is the executive director of Malkia Initiative, which works to enhance the enrollment, retention, attendance, and transition of girls in school through mentorship and implementation of Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (ASRHR) programmes in Kajiado County.

The Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2022 shows that among women aged 15–49 whose most recent menstrual period occurred in the last year, 91 per cent used disposable sanitary pads, and 5 per cent used reusable sanitary pads to collect or absorb blood from the most recent menstrual period.

Almost all women aged 15–49 (98 per cent) who were at home during their last menstrual period were able to wash and change in privacy. Ninety-seven per cent were able to wash and change in privacy and used appropriate materials during their last menstruation.

“The government has really upped its game when it comes to distribution of sanitary pads. Although it has not reached the desired quota, it is a huge step as a country that we have been making, but I know we can do much better,” says Jedidah.

At the same time, stakeholders continue to urge the need to centre the conversation with those in the grassroots, while adapting to digital resources like social media.

While the Menstrual Hygiene Management Policy 2019-2030 has been lauded by stakeholders as a step in the right direction, some have found it wanting when it comes to the execution phase.

“One of the things that now worry us is the introduction of tax on sanitary products. Kenya truly led the way as the first country in the world to abolish the tax on sanitary pads. This crucial policy adjustment happened in 2004. Specifically, Kenya removed its 16 per cent value-added tax (VAT) on period products, making it the trailblazer in this initiative,” says Jedidah.

This decision was met with significant praise for its positive effects on the affordability and availability of menstrual hygiene products, particularly benefiting low-income women and girls.

The current proposals, Jedidah says, are a step backwards whose repercussions are dreadful.

“We have had cases of teenage pregnancies as ‘sex for pads’ is a reality in different parts, whether in the rural or urban areas, for girls who cannot afford the products. This transactional sex can erase the wins we have achieved over the years,” she says.