Girls in rural areas face sanitary pad challenge
On the occasion of World Menstrual Day, 600 received sanitary napkins.
Among the several challenges that the pandemic has posed in rural areas, girl's lack of sanitary pads is one of the most significant.
The 28th of May marks World Menstrual and Hygiene Day. This year, in order to emphasize its significance, Deputy Sub-Inspector of Police Madhuri Mulik, with the assistance of empowHER India and Pee Safe, distributed sanitary napkins to 600 girls from the rural districts of Khandas, Kashele, Vaare, and Patharaj.
On this occasion, the team strived to create awareness as they explained the importance of using sanitary napkins during menstruation to the girls. The distribution drive also received help from the Damini Police Group.
It was observed that, due to lack of sufficient information on the maintenance of personal hygiene, the girls were highly stressed, felt isolated and confused, developed an inferiority complex, all of which affected their mental health and undermined their self-confidence.
Madhuri Mulik was highly impressed with all the efforts put in by empowHER India and Pee Safe. She congratulated and praised them for taking the initiative to guide and educate the village girls about using sanitary pads, which will be a life-saving action for all of them.
This new campaign will create awareness about living with dignity, self-reliance, self- confidence, gender equality, and developing assertive rights about their personal needs. empowHER India believes that these are the basic rights of all young girls. The CEO of empowHER India, Ms. Anamara Baig, put the reason behind this ignorance very simply. She said, “Because of traditional beliefs, superstitions, and worries about being ostracized, neither the girls nor the women were earlier able to accept these realities.” However, now with the times changing and girls getting educated, empowHER India will be informing the girls about maintaining personal hygiene and cleanliness during menstruation. In this manner, they are doing away with many unnecessary myths and rituals, which have made the menstrual period regarded impure as well as inspiring awareness to the other village girls.
empowHER India has been a tremendous pillar of strength to the girls and young women from a number of remote Adivasi villages like Khandas. They are helping them to change the mindsets of many members of the community.
