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Call for Joint Action on Dignified Menstruation amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

Statement adopted on 26 May 2020

Public health emergencies and natural disasters often exacerbate gender inequalities in society exposing the deep rooted structural fault lines of an unequal world. While such emergencies and disasters impact people differently based on various factors like gender, class, ethnicity, age, geographical locations; they can also be an opportunity to challenge and positively transform the existing status-quo.

Thus, the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizen, Nepal in association with the National Human Right Commission and GSCDM is proud to host an International Workshop on Dignified Menstruation under the slogan of `Menstrual Talk, Dignity first’ in December 2020, once COVID-19 is behind us. In the interim we take great pleasure in sharing our commitment to dignified menstruation for all menstruators globally through this virtual conference. Menstruation with dignity more urgent than ever than before during this COVID19 Pandemic. We call on everyone to:

  1. Change the narrative on menstruation, from charity to human rights, from hygiene to dignity, from impure to purity, and from five days to a life course approach;
  2. Integrate menstruation with dignity into health, education and gender policies and strategies;
  3. Menstrual management supplies must be included in the list of essential supplies (like PPEs and other health supplies in COVID19) and other emergencies.
  4. Any stigma, taboo, restrictions or insensitive, discriminatory treatment linked to menstruators should be considered as a violation of human rights, form of Gender Based Violence and punishable by law.
  5. Menarche, semen Arche, the sexual reproductive system, safety, respect and responsibility must be considered essential elements of information and education including during lock down and post COVID 19.

 

Final Policy Statement