Menstrual Hygiene Day aims to raise awareness of the challenges that women and girls face across the globe when it comes to their periods.
Menstrual Hygiene Day reminds us all that not everyone lives in a place where they can get easy access to pads, tampons or other menstrual products.
Not every girl or woman lives in a place where having a period is considered healthy and natural; instead they are isolated and punished, thought of as ‘unclean’, and are robbed of opportunities to go to school, get an education, and work.
Menstrual Hygiene Day was started in 2014 to help create a world where everyone who gets periods can do so hygienically, in privacy, safety and with dignity.
Breaking the silence and building awareness around periods means women and girls can work on reaching their full potential, without a period getting in the way.
So far, the organisers of Menstrual Hygiene Day have been doing some great work, including:
- 350 events in 54 countries (up from 180 events in 34 countries in 2016), with India being the most active country this year.
- Significant online media coverage, including key international (Huffington Post, Guardian, El Pais, Metro, Glamour, etc) and Indian (Times of India, NDTV online, Hindustan Times, DNA, etc.) media.
- Social media increased from 19,000 followers across channels to 186,000.
- The “To bleed without violence” video was shared more than 81,000 times and generated more than 3,800 comments on their facebook site alone.
Thanks Menstrual Hygiene Day organisers! You rock. Keep up the good work. To find out more, visit the Menstrual Hygiene Day website.