scholarly journals Menstrual hygiene management in disasters: the concerns, needs, and preferences of women and girls in Vanuatu

Waterlines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 144-159
Author(s):  
Sandra Downing ◽  
Sandrine Benjimen ◽  
Lisa Natoli ◽  
Veronica Bell
Keyword(s):  
Water Supply ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Preparedness Planning ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene Management ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Hygiene Management ◽  
Sanitary Products ◽  
Women And Girls

In disaster settings, women and girls face additional challenges in safely managing menstruation with confidence and dignity. Assessing women’s and girls’ needs and preferences at country level prior to a disaster assists Red Cross National Societies with preparedness planning and development of local menstrual hygiene management (MHM) kits for pre-positioning. This study, conducted in Vanuatu, examined the experiences, concerns, needs, and preferences of women and girls in managing menstruation in disasters. Participants trialled one of four different sanitary products included in a MHM kit. Absorbency, security of fit, and odour were the main determinants of product acceptability. Water supply and safe disposal options influenced the preference for either reusable or disposable products. Access to sanitary products, distribution processes, water supply, and privacy were key concerns. Detailed recommendations within this paper will support the Vanuatu Red Cross in decision making and programming for MHM in disaster preparedness and response.

scholarly journals Understanding Period Poverty: Socio-Economic Inequalities in Menstrual Hygiene Management in Eight Low- and Middle-Income Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2571
Author(s):  
Laura Rossouw ◽  
Hana Ross
Keyword(s):  
Decomposition Methods ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene Management ◽  
Hygiene Management ◽  
Menstrual Health ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Sanitary Pads ◽  
Unequal Access

Menstrual hygiene management and health is increasingly gaining policy importance in a bid to promote dignity, gender equality and reproductive health. Effective and adequate menstrual hygiene management requires women and girls to have access to their menstrual health materials and products of choice, but also extends into having private, clean and safe spaces for using these materials. The paper provides empirical evidence of the inequality in menstrual hygiene management in Kinshasa (DRC), Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rajasthan (India), Indonesia, Nigeria and Uganda using concentration indices and decomposition methods. There is consistent evidence of wealth-related inequality in the conditions of menstrual hygiene management spaces as well as access to sanitary pads across all countries. Wealth, education, the rural-urban divide and infrastructural limitations of the household are major contributors to these inequalities. While wealth is identified as one of the key drivers of unequal access to menstrual hygiene management, other socio-economic, environmental and household factors require urgent policy attention. This specifically includes the lack of safe MHM spaces which threaten the health and dignity of women and girls.

scholarly journals Menstrual Hygiene, Management, and Waste Disposal: Practices and Challenges Faced by Girls/Women of Developing Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajanbir Kaur ◽  
Kanwaljit Kaur ◽  
Rajinder Kaur
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Reproductive Tract Infections ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene Management ◽  
Hygiene Management ◽  
Sanitary Products ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
At Home

Menstruation and menstrual practices still face many social, cultural, and religious restrictions which are a big barrier in the path of menstrual hygiene management. In many parts of the country especially in rural areas girls are not prepared and aware about menstruation so they face many difficulties and challenges at home, schools, and work places. While reviewing literature, we found that little, inaccurate, or incomplete knowledge about menstruation is a great hindrance in the path of personal and menstrual hygiene management. Girls and women have very less or no knowledge about reproductive tract infections caused due to ignorance of personal hygiene during menstruation time. In rural areas, women do not have access to sanitary products or they know very little about the types and method of using them or are unable to afford such products due to high cost. So, they mostly rely on reusable cloth pads which they wash and use again. Needs and requirements of the adolescent girls and women are ignored despite the fact that there are major developments in the area of water and sanitation. Women manage menstruation differently when they are at home or outside; at homes, they dispose of menstrual products in domestic wastes and in public toilets and they flush them in the toilets without knowing the consequences of choking. So, there should be a need to educate and make them aware about the environmental pollution and health hazards associated with them. Implementation of modern techniques like incineration can help to reduce the waste. Also, awareness should be created to emphasize the use of reusable sanitary products or the natural sanitary products made from materials like banana fibre, bamboo fibre, sea sponges, water hyacinth, and so on.

scholarly journals Does Menstrual Hygiene Management in Urban Slums Need a Different Lens? Challenges Faced by Women and Girls in Jaipur and Delhi

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 138-159
Author(s):  
Vasudha Chakravarthy ◽  
Shobhita Rajagopal ◽  
Bhavya Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Urban Poor ◽  
Urban Poverty ◽  
Poor People ◽  
Water Drainage ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene Management ◽  
Hygiene Management ◽  
Poor Access ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Basic Infrastructure

For the first time since Independence, India’s urban population has registered a higher increase than the rural population. Increasing urbanbiased economic activity and job creation are leading to rapid urbanisation, and a greater number of poor people today are living in cities and towns in India. Slums, often the residence of migrants and urban poor, are underserved areas with poor housing, insufficient living space, basic infrastructure and services such as clean drinking water, drainage and electricity, and poor access to toilets and sanitation services. Urban poverty and life in slums significantly compromise the ability of women and girls to effectively manage menstruation. There are many factors that affect how women manage their monthly period, such as the lack of information and awareness on menstruation, unaffordability of menstrual products, poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure and services, lack of privacy, safety and security. This article seeks to highlight the challenges faced in managing menstruation in the context of a slum/poor urban settlement and the need for a convergent and comprehensive approach involving key stakeholders including communities, civil society and government departments to ensure gender-sensitive, menstrual hygiene management-centric interventions.

Girls' and women's unmet needs for menstrual hygiene management (MHM): the interactions between MHM and sanitation systems in low-income countries

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marni Sommer ◽  
Marianne Kjellén ◽  
Chibesa Pensulo
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene Management ◽  
Hygiene Management ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Sanitation Systems ◽  
Proper Disposal

While the sanitation sector is gaining increased recognition in policy and research, its inherent inter-linkage with menstrual hygiene management remains an under-researched subject. This review explores knowledge about menstrual beliefs and behaviors, and how women and girls currently handle their monthly menses in relation to existing sanitation systems in low-income countries. It further explores how used menstrual materials are disposed of, and the consequences of different disposal practices for the functioning of sanitation systems. Conclusions point towards the inadequacy of research in the area of menstrual management. The lack of privacy and space for changing, cleaning, drying or discarding materials, as well as insufficient availability of water for personal hygiene stand out as important areas where sanitation systems often fail to cater to the needs of menstruating girls and women. Information on proper disposal of menstrual materials as well as the actual provision of disposal facilities are important for improving menstrual management and ensuring that absorption materials do not impair the functioning of sanitation systems. Training of sanitation system designers and planners with regard to menstrual management could lead to sanitation systems becoming more inclusive of the full needs of all people.

scholarly journals Manajemen Kebersihan Menstruasi pada Siswi SMA IT Nurul Ilmi di Kota Jambi

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 110
Author(s):  
Ajeng Galuh Wuryandari ◽  
Lia Artika Sari ◽  
Netti Herawati
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Reproductive Organs ◽  
Young Girls ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene Management ◽  
Hygiene Management ◽  
Women And Girls

Everyday, an estimated 300 million women and girls menstruate. The main problem for adolescents during menstruation is the lack of knowledge about menstrual hygiene management (MHM). During menstruation, women should really be able to keep the reproductive organs extra clean, especially the vaginal part, because if they are not kept clean, it will cause excess microorganisms and can interfere with reproductive function. The purpose of this community service is to identify the knowledge and understanding of students about menstrual hygiene management. This activity was attended by as many as 150 students. The method used in this community service through several stages, including compiling an activity plan, coordinating and advocating with the school, the second stage, namely implementation by providing material on online menstrual hygiene management with ZOOM teleconferencing media, evaluating activities through Google Form. This community service was carried out at SMA IT Nurul Ilmi. The need for comprehensive reproductive health assistance and education related to menstrual hygiene management for young girls

scholarly journals Menstrual hygiene management in schools: midway progress update on the “MHM in Ten” 2014–2024 global agenda

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marni Sommer ◽  
Bethany A. Caruso ◽  
Belen Torondel ◽  
Elodie C. Warren ◽  
Brooke Yamakoshi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
School Environment ◽  
National Level ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Information Support ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene Management ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Hygiene Management

AbstractProgress has been made in recent years to bring attention to the challenges faced by school-aged girls around managing menstruation in educational settings that lack adequate physical environments and social support in low- and middle-income countries. To enable more synergistic and sustained progress on addressing menstruation-related needs while in school, an effort was undertaken in 2014 to map out a vision, priorities, and a ten-year agenda for transforming girls’ experiences, referred to as Menstrual Hygiene Management in Ten (MHM in Ten). The overarching vision is that girls have the information, support, and enabling school environment for managing menstruation with dignity, safety and comfort by 2024. This requires improved research evidence and translation for impactful national level policies. As 2019 marked the midway point, we assessed progress made on the five key priorities, and remaining work to be done, through global outreach to the growing network of academics, non-governmental organizations, advocates, social entrepreneurs, United Nations agencies, donors, and national governments. This paper delineates the key insights to inform and support the growing MHM commitment globally to maximize progress to reach our vision by 2024. Corresponding to the five priorities, we found that (priority 1) the evidence base for MHM in schools has strengthened considerably, (priority 2) global guidelines for MHM in schools have yet to be created, and (priority 3) numerous evidence-based advocacy platforms have emerged to support MHM efforts. We also identified (priority 4) a growing engagement, responsibility, and ownership of MHM in schools among governments globally, and that although MHM is beginning to be integrated into country-level education systems (priority 5), resources are lacking. Overall, progress is being made against identified priorities. We provide recommendations for advancing the MHM in Ten agenda. This includes continued building of the evidence, and expanding the number of countries with national level policies and the requisite funding and capacity to truly transform schools for all students and teachers who menstruate.

scholarly journals Qualitative study exploring the barriers to menstrual hygiene management faced by adolescents and young people with a disability, and their carers in the Kavrepalanchok district, Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Wilbur ◽  
Shubha Kayastha ◽  
Thérèse Mahon ◽  
Belen Torondel ◽  
Shaffa Hameed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene Management ◽  
Hygiene Management ◽  
Purposeful Sampling ◽  
Educational Issue ◽  
Support Mechanisms ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Background Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is a recognised public health, social and educational issue, which must be achieved to allow the realisation of human rights. People with disabilities are likely to experience layers of discrimination when they are menstruating, but little evidence exists. Methods The study aims to investigate barriers to MHM that people with disabilities and their carers face in the Kavrepalanchok, Nepal, using qualitative methods. Twenty people with disabilities, aged 15–24, who menstruate and experience ‘a lot of difficulty’ or more across one or more of the Washington Group functional domains were included, as well as 13 carers who provide menstrual support to these individuals. Purposeful sampling was applied to select participants. Different approaches were used to investigating barriers to MHM and triangulate data: in-depth interviews, observation, PhotoVoice and ranking. We analysed data thematically, using Nvivo 11. Results Barriers to MHM experienced by people with disabilities differ according to the impairment. Inaccessible WASH facilities were a major challenge for people with mobility, self-care and visual impairments. People with intellectual impairments had difficulty accessing MHM information and their carers despaired when they showed their menstrual blood to others, which could result in abuse. No support mechanisms existed for carers for MHM, and they felt overwhelmed and isolated. Menstrual discomfort was a major challenge; these were managed with home remedies, or not at all. Most participants followed menstrual restrictions, which were widespread and expected; many feared they would be cursed if they did not. As disability is often viewed as a curse, this demonstrates the layers of discrimination faced. Conclusion Issues related to MHM for people with disabilities is more complex than for others in the population due to the additional disability discrimination and impairment experienced. Research exploring these issues must be conducted in different settings, and MHM interventions, tailored for impairment type and carers requirements,should be developed. Attention to, and resourcing for disability inclusive MHM must be prioritised to ensure ‘no one is left behind’.

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