Ghana will on Saturday May 28 2022, join the rest of the world to commemorate Menstrual Hygiene Day with a call on the Government to make menstrual hygiene products cheap and available for girls.
Ms Shamima Muslim, the Convenor Alliance for Women in Media Africa, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said it was sad that some girls use rags during menstruation due to the expensive and unavailability of menstrual hygiene products.
She lamented that just as condoms had been made less expensive to allow people adopt healthier and safer sexual practices, menstrual hygiene products should also be made cheap because unlike sex, girls could not prevent their monthly flow.
“Menstruation is a normal biological body function, which women have no choice than to go through every month so it behooves the government to make these products available and cheap for all girls and most especially schools,” the Convenor stated.
Ms Muslim called on women leaders, women at decision making levels to veto such decisions to allow girls to have proper menstrual hygiene management products.
The 2022 Menstrual Hygiene Day is on the theme: “Making Menstruation a Normal Fact of Life by 2030. The overarching goal is to build a world where no one is held back because they menstruate by 2030.
It is celebrated annually to highlight the importance of menstrual care, and raise awareness about the issues faced by girls who do not have access to sanitary products.
Menstrual Hygiene Day seeks to break the silence around periods, tackle the stigma often associated with them, and raise awareness of the importance of menstrual hygiene for women, girls and people who menstruate around the world.
Access to sanitary products, safe, hygienic spaces in which to use them, and the right to manage menstruation without shame or stigma, is essential for anyone who menstruates.
But for too many, that’s not the reality.
In developing countries, women’s choices of menstrual hygiene materials are often limited by the costs, availability and social norms.
Adequate sanitation facilities and access to feminine hygiene products are one part of the solution. Creating a culture that welcomes discussion and makes adequate education for women and girls is of equal importance.
Research has found that not having access to menstrual hygiene management products can keep girls at home from school during their period.
It is for these reasons that leaders of developing countries need to address the challenges to make Menstruation safer, cheap and available for women and girls.
