International Menstruation Equity Day 2025: Eliminating Stigma, Guaranteeing Availability for Everybody
World Menstrual Hygiene Day (WMHD) is a significant global awareness day, observed annually on May 28, that aims to break stigma, promote menstrual health, and advocate for equitable access to menstrual hygiene products and facilities.
History and Significance
Established in 2014 by the global NGO WASH United, WMHD seeks to raise awareness about menstrual hygiene management (MHM) challenges faced by millions due to socio-cultural taboos, lack of sanitation, and education. Menstruation remains a taboo in many societies, leading to poor menstrual hygiene practices that cause serious reproductive health issues like infections and infertility. Approximately 500 million individuals globally lack access to adequate menstrual hygiene products and facilities, disproportionately impacting girls and women in low-resource settings.
Creating a #PeriodFriendlyWorld
To ensure a #PeriodFriendlyWorld, it's crucial to address menstrual hygiene with commitment from individuals, communities, and institutions. Here's how:
- Education and Awareness: Organize educational events about menstrual health, use interactive activities to reduce stigma and misinformation, and engage in creative projects like period beads.
- Advocacy and Funding: Support policy advocacy for access to affordable menstrual products, safe sanitation facilities, and menstrual leave provisions. Fund initiatives targeting menstrual health infrastructure and research.
- Community Support & Collaboration: Partner with NGOs, health organizations, schools, and community groups to distribute menstrual hygiene products and provide WASH facilities, especially in schools and public spaces.
- Social Media Campaigns: Use hashtags like #PeriodFriendlyWorld to promote awareness, share stories, and encourage collective action on platforms widely used by youth and activists.
- Innovative Solutions: Develop or support menstrual products that are affordable, sustainable, and culturally appropriate, such as reusable pads or menstrual cups, and educate on their safe use.
WMHD aims to create an inclusive, stigma-free, and supportive environment where menstruating people can manage their periods with dignity and safety, empowering them to thrive.
The Future of Menstrual Hygiene
Menstrual Hygiene Day contributes to a future where menstrual health is recognized as a basic human right through fostering awareness and policy changes. It aims to eliminate period poverty, improve education, and create a world where menstruation is accepted without stigma or shame. The theme for World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2025 is "Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld", calling for collective action to erase stigma, improve access to menstrual health resources, and foster open conversations about menstruation.
World Menstrual Hygiene Day is a crucial step towards a world where no one feels ashamed or held back by their period, where schools and workplaces provide free sanitary products, and where policies ensure menstrual health is prioritized. Join the movement and help create a #PeriodFriendlyWorld.
- To advance women's health and wellness, and contributing to the science of health, it's essential to advocate for policies that prioritize menstrual health, such as funding research on effective and sustainable menstrual products, and ensuring equitable access to menstrual hygiene education and resources.
- In the pursuit of health-and-wellness for all, World Menstrual Hygiene Day calls for the eradication of stigma surrounding women's health issues, particularly menstruation, by promoting dialogue, education, and access to resources that support menstrual hygiene management globally.
