Everyone has a right to bodily autonomy. The ability to care for one’s body while menstruating is an essential part of this fundamental freedom. Yet hundreds of millions of people lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual health. Every month, approximately 1.8 billion people menstruate. Only around two in five schools provide menstrual health education, and just 1 in 3 schools has bins for menstrual waste in girls' toilets.
Menstrual health and hygiene are also linked to the fulfillment of girls' and women's rights, and gender equality, as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6.2, which calls for access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all.
Poor menstrual health and hygiene, exacerbated by stigma and taboos around menstruation, worsens social and economic inequalities. Insufficient resources and poor menstrual health can limit a person’s ability to attend school, work, or participate in society, diminishing their opportunities to thrive throughout life.
A simple, natural process of menstruation often carries a heavy burden for girls like 19-year-old Lilian from Mwandi District.
"Sometimes, girls in our community are in class, and their periods start unexpectedly, causing stains on their uniforms. It’s embarrassing, and many even stay home until their period ends" Lillian
shared 19-year-old Lilian, a beneficiary from UNFPA’s Safe Spaces initiative, implemented by the Young Women Christian Association. Her words paint a vivid picture of a challenge faced by countless girls in Zambia due to a lack of access to menstrual products.
“Safe Spaces gave me the tools to change my life,” Lillian.
Through peer education sessions, Lilian not only gained crucial knowledge but also built the confidence to manage her menstrual health. She was also provided with a pair of reusable pads and underwear. This intervention was a lifeline for Lilian, helping to break the cycle of period poverty and social stigma that affects so many girls in her community. UNFPA Zambia collaborating with the Ministry of Health and ChildlineLine LifeLine is also distributing sanitary pads and pants targeting adolescents aged 10 to 19 years through mobile health clinics in Eastern, Southern and Western Provinces.
There is wide agreement on what people need for good menstrual health. The essential elements include safe, acceptable, and reliable supplies to manage menstruation; privacy to change materials; facilities to safely and privately wash; and information to make informed choices. Comprehensive approaches that combine education with infrastructure and with products and efforts to tackle stigma are most successful in achieving good menstrual health.
