Menstrual hygiene and the need for women friendly toilets

Why is it that personal hygiene is such a forbidden topic?  Sexual functions are part of practical living and most families have both girls and boys in them -- so gender topics should be of concern to all adults.  But history has shown that women's reproductive health care ... and hygiene ... have been embarrassing and ignored.  Hopefully times are changing, and we can care for our daughters' needs in a more sustainable way.

Most sanitation programmes are silent about women and adolescent girls’ need to clean and change menstrual towels and menstrual management tends to be ignored in latrine design and construction and excluded from hygiene education packages. Even reproductive health and preventive health programmes in developing countries often do not address this sensitive issue. A recent article in Source Bulletin describes how WaterAid has tackled this issue in Bangladesh.

In Africa, one of the activities of the QUEST programme (1998-2006) involved research in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda on the links between life skills, sexual maturation and school sanitation. One of aspects looked at was how poor menstrual management negatively affected girls school attendance.

The Source article  gives a link to a report published last year, called “Menstrual hygiene: a neglected condition for the achievement of several Millennium Development Goals”.

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