Menstrual blood is the only source of blood that is not traumatically induced. Yet in modern society, this is the most hidden blood, the one so rarely spoken of and almost never seen, except privately by women.

Menstrual Hygiene Day is an annual awareness day of good menstrual hygiene management and to fight the taboo. It is celebrated on the 28th of May every year, 28th was selected to acknowledge that 28 days is the average length of the menstrual cycle.

Poor menstrual hygiene caused by a lack of education on the issue, persisting taboos, and stigma, limited access to hygienic menstrual products and poor sanitation infrastructure undermines the educational opportunities, health and overall social status of women and girls around the world. As a result, millions of women and girls are kept from reaching their full potential.

Also Read: Nature Needn’t Whisper – Breaking Down the Period Taboo

Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) is a global advocacy platform that brings together the voices and actions of non-profits, government agencies, individuals, the private sector and the media to promote good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for all women and girls. More specifically, MH Day:

Breaks the silence, raises awareness and changes negative social norms around MHM, and

Engages decision-makers to increase the political priority and catalyze action for MHM, at global, national and local levels.

All around the world, and throughout history, women have been shamed, sequestered, and medicalized for bleeding regularly. Myths about menstruation have always been a part of society, especially in India. The isolation from society is letting HER down. The stigma and shame generated by stereotypes around menstruation have severe impacts on all aspects of women and girls’ human rights. But the truth is menstruating doesn’t cause temples to collapse or food to rot nor is it contagious.

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Menstruation is a matter of equality. Women and girls miss out on education, work, and other opportunities in life when they cannot manage their menstruation with normalcy and dignity. Taboos and myths related to menstruation often portray women and girls as inferior to men and boys. This undermines gender equality and often constitutes discrimination. Including men and boys is therefore critical to creating normalcy and fostering a supportive environment for women and girls.

Surveys show that more than 30 per cent of the population in the world remains unaware of menstruation and the associated practices. Most of these people suffer from poor health conditions due to this lack of proper knowledge. Globally, 2.3 billion people lack basic sanitation services and in the least Developed Countries, only 27 per cent of the population has a handwashing facility with water and soap at home. Managing periods at home is a major challenge for women and adolescent girls who lack these basic facilities at home.

Also Read: 5 Ways in Which We Have Been Conditioned to Believe Periods as A Taboo

UNICEF along with the social activists took the #reddotchallenge to mark the Menstrual Hygiene Day. The red dot challenge aims at busting myths and promoting facts on menstrual hygiene, collectively inspiring all men and women to candidly talk about it. Diya India Foundation started a campaign #proudtobleed to provide sanitary care to underprivileged girls and break the taboo related to it with special awareness programs.

Women have been an instrumental part of our everyday lives as leaders, entrepreneurs, doctors, caretakers and more. Yet, their hygiene has always been questioned and stigmatized. According to a 2016 global survey, of the 90,000 women interviewed, a majority of them did not feel comfortable talking about their period with the men in their lives.

It’s time to put the word ‘men’ into menstrual hygiene.

Let all men stand by women to empower them and appreciate their strength.

No blood should hold us back.

Let’s talk about it. Period.