The Niine
Movement, an ambitious five-year plan aimed at raising awareness on the
importance of menstrual hygiene and tackling the taboos associated with
menstruation, officially launched at the inaugural Menstrual Awareness Conclave
in Delhi, India to mark International Menstrual Hygiene Day on 28th May 2018.
The Menstrual Awareness Conclave is supported by India’s Pad Man, Akshay Kumar
and Shabana Azmi, who graced the event as its Chief Guest. The event took place
at Hotel ITC Maurya, which includes several activists, who participated on a
discussion made on the same.
Despite
menstruation being an experience lived by as many as 355 million girls and
women in India, approximately only 18% of them currently use sanitary napkins
with approximately 82% of women often
reverting to unhygienic and unsafe alternatives such as old cloths, rags, hay
and even ash. The reasons behind this staggering statistic include decades of
archaic attitudes and stigma surrounding menstruation, the lack of choice and
accessibility for safe and affordable sanitary products and the limited
awareness of the importance of proper menstrual hygiene management; even
amongst the 18%, some are still unaware of maintaining proper genital hygiene
and the correct usage of the product, often overusing sanitary napkins.
As a
result of the unwillingness to discuss menstruation, there is a subsequent
culture of silence and shame which has left women and girls with no choice but
to partake in unsafe menstrual practices, frequently resulting in urinary and
reproductive tract infections, stress, and anxiety. In some cases, this has
even resulted in girls and women becoming victims of gender-based violence,
including harassment, physical assault, and/or rape; this vulnerability is
exacerbated by limited access to WASH facilities, desire to hide evidence of
menstruation, and lack of sanitation in homes.
The
Menstrual Awareness Conclave was graced by film personalities, academics,
policymakers, government officials, activists, medical experts, business
stalwarts, NGOs, and thought-leaders, to discuss the impact that stigma and
taboos have had on menstruation, which have held girls and women back for
centuries from achieving their potential and living a life of respect and
dignity. The event aims to provide an essential platform focusing on
collaboration, innovation and cooperation to assess, plan and put into action
sustainable solutions to tackling menstrual issues across India, with the
support of leading change-makers.
Amongst the
high profile attendees,Indian actor Akshay Kumar, who’s most recent
award-winning film Pad Man, tackled the issue of menstrual taboo. He recently
began his support of the Niine Movement with the launch of the nationwide
campaign #18to82 to bridge the gap between the minority that are able to adopt
hygienic practices and the large majority who are not able to make an informed
choice in these matters.
Speaking
about his support of the Menstrual Awareness Conclave, Akshay Kumar said: “The
Niine Menstrual Awareness Conclave is a crucial assembly of minds, influencers
and menstrual awareness champions - convening under one roof with the common
goal of tackling the urgent issues, taboos and stigmas associated with
menstrual health and hygiene. We, as a collective society, can only implement
change once we initiate discussion, and the conclave on International Menstrual
Hygiene Day is a fitting platform for us to truly empower a nation of women.
Together we can ensure that every woman and girl has the right to manage her
period safely and with dignity.”
The
Menstrual Awareness Conclave also featured two high-level panels engaging
prominent and expert panellists. The first panel is Chaired and Moderated by
Poonam Muttreja, the Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India
(PFI), which has been at the forefront of policy advocacy and research on
gender, population, health and development issues in India. With taboos
surrounding menstruation preventing women and girls from achieving empowerment,
respect and dignity for centuries, the first panel will delve deep into the
socially constructed origin of the menstrual stigma and the physical impact
this can have on girls and women, in particular reproductive and urinary tract
infections. If neglected, these infections can have long term consequences
including increased vulnerability to other infections and in extreme cases can
leave women vulnerable to infertility.
Poonam
Muttreja, speaks to eminent panellists focusing on the importance of menstrual
hygiene management awareness and practice and the work already being conducted
on ground to tackle the issues and address the barriers. Some of the panelists
include film actor and women’s rights activist Shabana Azmi, Avinash Kumar,
Director Programme and Policy, WaterAid India, an NGO which aims to transform
the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people by improving access to
WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) services, Nishtha Satyam, Deputy
Representative, UN Women India MCO and Dr. Jaideep Malhotra, President of the
Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI).
According
to UNESCO, 20% of girls drop out of school upon reaching puberty the second,
most common cause of absenteeism after household work. The second panel will
focus on the safety and security of girls after they reach puberty in the
school environment, an important concern for girls and their families that
needs to be addressed in building a healthy ecosystem in which girls and women
feel empowered to make healthy choices with respect to menstruation.
The Niine
Movement and Niine Menstrual Awareness Conclave is conceived by social
entrepreneur Amar Tulsiyan. Speaking about the launch, founder Amar Tulsiyan
said: “Menstrual hygiene awareness is an issue that is severely
under-represented in this country, as demonstrated by the amount of women who
still do not use proper menstrual hygiene products to manage their periods.
Even amongst the 18%, they lack awareness of the importance of using clean
sanitary napkins and not to reuse the product, which is why as part of our
theory of change, we need to Enrol existing menstrual hygiene product users and
those who don’t in a supportive, taboo free environment to create an open forum
for discussion and deliberation. With Niine’s Menstrual Awareness Conclave, I
am hopeful that we can inspire and motivate everyone to support the cause as I
believe that we can all make a difference and break the taboo around
menstruation by talking, educating and collaborating. That’s what the Niine
Movement is all about. ”
