In many parts of the world, menstruation tends to be taboo, surrounded by silence and shrouded in myths. Yet, menstruation and menstrual hygiene are emerging as pivotal issues for gender equality, human rights and development. Indeed, menstruation perpetuates humanity and should be celebrated today and every day, rather than hidden behind shame and disgust.
In 2012, the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) spoke to 12,000 women and girls in five states of India over 56 days during the Nirmal Bharat Yatra, which was a massive national campaign around sanitation and hygiene. We created a safe space to talk about menstruation and the response was tremendous: women and girls gathered in large numbers with mothers, grandmothers, sisters and friends to discuss, share and ask the most intimate of questions. They tested simple training and communication tools and partnered in developing methodologies to break the silence and create safe menstrual hygiene management conditions together.
In 2014 WSSCC took this approach to West Africa and launched the Joint Programme ‘’Gender, Hygiene and Sanitation” with UN-Women. The programme undertook a series of studies aimed at breaking the silence on menstruation and menstrual hygiene in the region.
