Menstrual_Hygiene_Presentation by Lavanya Kumar.pptx

It is presentation on information about the menstrual cycle its challenges and the social stigma around it.

1. The Advocacy Of Proper Menstrual Hygiene

2. Introduction Please tell us: Your Names & Profession Your Organization Your E xpectations about the Talk ?

3. Objectives Introduction to Menstrual Hygiene Why advocate For Proper Menstrual Hygiene How To advocate For Proper Menstrual Hygiene Including Men In the Advocacy Menstrual Hygiene Management Impact Of Proper Menstrual Hygiene In Society

4. What is Menstrual Hygiene ? Menstrual hygiene is defined as the principle of maintaining cleanliness of the body during menstrual flow. It requires basic facilities such as appropriate clothes, soakage material, water, soap, and toilet facilities with privacy.

5. WHAT IS AN ADVOCACY?? Advocacy is a process of supporting and enabling people to : Express their views and concerns. Access information and services. Defend and promote their rights and responsibilities. Explore choices and options

6. Why advocate For Menstrual Hygiene?? In some cultures, women and girls are told that During their menstrual cycle they should not bathe (or they will become infertile) Touch a cow (or it will become infertile) Look in a mirror (or it will lose its brightness) Touch a plant (or it will die ) Parental Education Education by parents about reproductive health, sexuality and related issues is often a no-go area leading to a low knowledge and understanding on these issue

7. Most women and girls will menstruate every month between menarche and menopause, yet this normal bodily function is still met with silence, taboos, and stigma. Women and girls the world over face numerous challenges in managing their menstruation, which should be a straightforward issue of privacy and health. Pads and other supplies may be unavailable or unaffordable, they may lack access to safe toilet facilities with clean water where they can clean themselves in privacy, and they face discriminatory cultural norms or practices that make it difficult to maintain good menstrual hygiene.

8. How To Advocate For Proper Menstrual Hygiene …

9. Look around you….. 1. What are the challenges Young Girls face during Menstruation ? 2. What can be done about it? 3. Whose responsibility is it to solve this challenges? Lets Reason Rationally

10. Awareness Raising Promoting good practices for Menstrual Hygiene Management: How to capture the blood How to dispose of the cloth, pad, cotton How to keep yourself clean during the period How to manage the stomach pain from your period Community-wide approaches that include boys and men ( Physical barriers are often connected to social barriers. Social barriers have to be overcome!) Integrate Menstrual Hygiene Management into a wider hygiene promotion approach on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene including risks and good practice s

11. Example of promoting menstrual hygiene management: Mother’s Day - Zambia Mother’s day: one day off work per month. Silent belief that this day was thought for a day of relief whilst having menstruation.

12. Including Men In The Advocacy For Proper Menstrual Hygiene. Male role in reproductive health has been acknowledged as an important contributor.  However , most men do not know about the normal physiology of menstruation, such as the menstrual cycle and the hygienic measures that should be taken during menstruation, even though they are often responsible for decision-making regarding health facilities and services needed by women and girls. Men and boys can support women in different domains during menstruation starting from the household, community, workplace etc. Therefore , addressing strategic issues regarding menstruation should aim both at men and women, to bring about significant changes in their attitudes and behavior towards menstruation.

13. Menstrual Hygiene Management Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is defined as  ;‘ Women and adolescent girls using a clean menstrual management material to absorb or collect blood that can be changed in privacy as often as necessary for the duration of the menstruation period, using soap and water for washing the body as required, and having access to facilities to dispose of used menstruation facilitating materials’. NB Stigma around menstruation hurts human rights, especially human dignity but also the right to non-discrimination, equality, bodily integrity, health, privacy and the right to freedom from inhumane and degrading treatment from abuse and violence.

14. Menstrual Hygiene Management Inappropriate hygiene practices Unclean sanitary pad materials (local infections/bacteria can travel up the vagina and enter uterine cavity) Changing pads infrequently (skin irritation by wet pads Insertion of unclean material into vagina (easier infection , also of uterine cavity) Using highly absorbent tampons during light blood loss or no menstruation (toxic shock syndrome, vaginal irritation) Wiping from back to front following urination or defecation (bacteria can travel easier into vagina) Unprotected sex (increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases) Unsafe disposal of used sanitary materials or blood (risk of infecting others with diseases) Frequent douching (forcing liquid into vagina can introduce bacteria into uterine cavity) Lack of hand-washing after changing a sanitary towel (can spread infections)

15. Menstrual Hygiene Management: Hardware Sanitary protection materials Disposable sanitary towels Cloth or cloth pads Menstrual cup New technology appropriate for poor women and girls Cup made of medical silicone rubber that is inserted into the vagina to collect menstrual blood Removed and emptied less frequently than sanitary pads Needs to maintain a high standard of hygiene especially during insertion, removal and general cleaning

16. Menstrual Hygiene Management: Software DISPOSAL If lack of opportunities, dispose secretly and easily: thus on defecation field, river or garbage dump Blocking toilets/filling up pits Education Education and information (in combination with hygiene and sex education) empowers women and girls with factual information about their bodies and how to look after them. Teachers are rarely trained in teaching menstrual hygiene and consequently rarely teach it; male teachers may feel cultural norms forbid them

17. IMPACT OF PROPER MENSTRUAL HYGIENE P romoting menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is not only a sanitation matter; it is also an important step towards safeguarding the dignity, bodily integrity and overall life opportunities of women and girls. 

18. Educating girls about menstruation helps increase self esteem, raise grades and raise wages . It allows girls to be prepared for their first period . Access to menstrual hygiene products keeps girls on the same track as their male peers . Girls staying in school longer contributes to the economic empowerment of not only the woman, but also to the family, community and nation.

19. Where do we go from here ? Have we understood the concept of Menstrual Hygiene? Do we now know how we can Practice Menstrual Hygiene? Are we now willing to advocate against menstruation stigma ?

20. Any Question??? Any Worries??? Any Suggestions???

21. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING Marie-Sabine TENKEU