Skip navigation

Menstruation: Discrimination Of Women And Person With Disabilities

Jul. 09, 2020   •   Architi Batra

On June 17, 2020, a team of 6 interns of the “ Sexual Offences against Person with Disabilities” research team discussed and deliberated on the topic of Menstruation and it is a prevalent cause for discrimination in our society.

Before the discussion, we viewed a speech by the famous athlete and the first woman to win a medal in the Paralympics Mrs Deepa Malik on the topic “menstruation and disability”[1].

The Group discussed the discrimination and challenges which are faced by the women who are menstruating and more specifically by the women who are disabled in one way or the other.

Excerpts from the discussion:

Shambhavi (Moderator): Menstruation is a phase through which every woman goes through in their lifetime. Menstruation is “the vaginal bleeding that occurs in adolescent girls and women as a result of hormonal changes. It normally happens in a predictable pattern, once a month”[2]. Biologically it may be defined as the phase when the uterine lining breaks down into a bloody substance, after which it passes down through the cervix and exits through the vagina. This particular process usually lasts from three to five days. By the definition itself, we can understand the pain a women goes through while she is menstruating and the societal discrimination makes it a nightmare for them. Those groups who were already not considered part of mainstream society and were struggling to fulfil their needs are the worst affected i.e. the Persons with Disabilities. The floor was opened for the discussion.

Chahat: Menstrual right is not just a problem faced by women but is a human right concern as every individual has the right to live a healthy life with dignity. With reference to the speech of Mrs.Deepa Malik, it has been rightly observed that women with disability have to face a lot of stigma in society. Lack of knowledge about disability in a society tends to build both curiosity and stigma among society members. A woman is anyhow less preferred in Indian society, disability adds on to this discrimination. As a result, women with disabilities tend to face isolation. The woman is better expected not to exist than to live with a disability.

Talking about women with disability in this regard, very often people tend to believe that they won’t be able to handle their menstrual cycle, and as their guardian, they get them into surgical processes, in a way depriving them of their reproductive rights. While some women with disability who are fortunate enough to not have that discrimination happen to them, they are stigmatised and questioned on their ability.

Aditi: Menstruation is the process which every female experience during her puberty. The process of Menstruation has a significant impact on our socio-cultural life. According to Hindu mythology some superstitious beliefs on the concept of menstruation, it should be mentioned that menstruation was treated as a curse on the women as God had killed a cruel Brahman. In ancient times, menstruating women were considered as evil spirits and impure for society. I feel these notions are illogical and should be banished from society altogether.

Athira: Despite being as natural a bodily process as it can be, menstruation is considered as something secretive and that has to be hidden and not talked about. It is as though speaking openly about it causes discomfort to the listeners, especially men who haven't been sensitised about the issue. And this roots from the lack of awareness right from the school.

Malyaban: Menstruation is something which is a natural process which an adolescent woman goes through in her lifetime. Sadly, I would say that the societal perceptions associated with the concept of menstruating women are something which is unchanged since ancient times. In the speech of Mrs Deepa Malik, she talked about the fact that how a menstruating woman with disabilities is viewed with pity and sympathy. Basically she questioned the thought process revolving around the fact that ‘menstruating women with disabilities’ cannot do anything on their own.

Shambhavi: We have heard a brief introduction of the concept of menstruation and the stigma attached to it. Going in detail, can the panellist list out instances of discrimination associated with menstruating women.

Aryan: In schools, due to lack of sanitary facilities, girls throw their pads in toilets. In some cases, girls threw away their used menstrual clothes without washing them. Also many were reported being absent from school due to lack of disposal system, broken lock/doors of toilets, lack of water tap, bucket, and poor water supply. If we do not have sufficient infrastructure for abled people. Then the condition of Disabled person would be pathetic.

Chahat: I would like to share an example of my experience in the Banjara Tanda community in Mumbai. The women in that area still have certain myths regarding the use of sanitary napkins. Some of the women believed that if a snake would smell their used disposed of sanitary napkins, that would make them sterile for life. I also came across women who have been facing reproductive illnesses, to the extent that a woman has to get her uterus removed due to some infections.

Malyaban: The instance which I would like to share was an experience with my own sister. One fine day she was disposing of her sanitary pads with the waste collector in our Apartment. The garbage collector refused to dispose of off the pads even though the pads were being disposed of as per the guidelines of the local municipality. There was a myth in which this person believed that was a used sanitary pad could be a source of Covid-19 infection. Sadly the Secretary of our society stood by the Garbage collector. So, this is the state of our society.

Athira: There have been instances where only girls were taught about menstruation, quite often separately. Sanitary products endorsements in schools and programmes on menstrual hygiene are only done for girls. Leaving the boys out in the dark and ignorant on the topic. The stigma surrounding menstruation for supposedly suggesting impurity and the lack of understanding of what it actually is breeds ignorance.

Aditi: I would like to narrate my personal experience in my childhood regarding menstruation. My mother did not treat me well when I was going through my menstruation phase. I was a victim of discrimination when I was going through my first menstruation phase and was not well informed about the usage of sanitary pads.

Shambhavi: By far we have discussed the concept of menstruation and how it is used as a tool to discriminate the women and the person with disabilities. Moreover, the lack of sensitisation and awareness among the masses is a matter of grave concern. Back in my school days, I remember we had a promotional event about the use of sanitary pads and in that particular event the principal of my school had ousted the male teachers from the event. These instances are sad but we would also like the concluding remarks from the panellists regarding the solution to the problem of discrimination and lack of awareness about menstruation.

Chahat: Legislations like The Women’s Sexual, Reproductive and Menstrual Rights Bill, 2018 have mentioned the women’s right to their reproductive and menstrual health. It mentions the mandatory provisions for bringing menstrual equity for all women, like provisions of sanitary napkins in public washrooms etc.

In order to get this situation better, there is a need to sensitise and aware people regarding menstruation and disability. In communities, Anganwadi workers and ASHA workers can play an important role in educating community people regarding the same. They can be an agent of change in communities if they are first trained and sensitised about this issue. Also, doctors and health workers in hospitals and other health centres can also be sensitised so that they avoid using inaccurate tags and not label persons with disability. They can contribute by being non-judgemental and unbiased towards PWDs and support them up to their best potentials.

Athira: The stigma surrounding menstruation for supposedly suggesting impurity and the lack of understanding of what it actually is breeds ignorance. Online media website, Scoop whoop, conducted an interview on people's perception of menstruation and the sheer amount of people who do not know what menstruation is alarming. Some people, including women, think that it is the body cleaning itself. There are numerous other responses that make these respondents equally misinformed. Hence it is necessary that everyone is informed and made aware of, irrespective of their gender from a very young age.

Aditi: “Education begins at home.” On this note, I would say that it should be one's parents who should stand by their children when they are going through their menstruating phase. Moreover, Parents should teach their children how to use a sanitary pad and assist her in difficult times. In the societal front, we should stand by the females and banish the frivolous notions about menstruation from society.

Aryan: If we do not have sufficient infrastructure for abled people. Then the condition of Disabled person would be pathetic. Therefore, proper facilities should be provided in schools & public places. There is a need for more flexible school rules with allowing toilet visits while in the classroom, which would promote keeping girls in school during their period. Lack of adequate materials and facilities for menstrual hygiene management is linked to the absenteeism of girls from school during their periods. We can change the face of the girl who drops out of school permanently with the onset of puberty due to toilet facilities that are not clean nor provide privacy to girls while they are menstruating.

There should be a separate collection system for the menstrual wastes without affecting the privacy and dignity of women. Specific sanitary dispensers to collect menstrual waste should be installed. To control waste disposal, new innovative & better product like Reusable Menstrual Cups. Moreover, menstrual cups don’t contain chemicals found in tampons and pads, such as bleach and dioxin. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some dioxins are known to cause cancer in humans. Comprehensive programmes that engage both men and women should be organized related to menstrual hygiene. Boys and girls miss the opportunity to learn about topics from each other’s perspectives when they don’t discuss topics together.

Malyaban: At the end of the day, people should be made aware of menstruation and we should not talk about it in a secretive manner. When the Sabarimala Temple Case verdict was pronounced by the Hon'ble Supreme Court which allowed the entry of menstruating women in the temple of Lord Aypappa, there was a huge public outcry to reverse the verdict. See, we even have a problem allowing women into a temple just because we have our so-called “essential religious practices”. Therefore we should denounce such practices and make the environment an inclusive one for everyone. In order to do so, we have to start from the grass-root level by awaring people about the wrong notions they perceive on the topic of menstruation. In the words of Mrs Deepa Malik, “ I won the medal on a day I was bleeding.” so we see that menstruation cannot stop women’s participation in the day to day activities. For some persons with disabilities, as we discussed they face a triple level of discrimination, firstly for being disabled, secondly for being a woman and thirdly for being in a menstruating phase. We should aim to make an inclusive environment for them.

Conclusion

Social exclusion of women on menstruation is untouchability and is anathema to the Constitution” Mishra CJI. Hon’ble Supreme Court says in the case of the Indian Young Lawyers Association v. the State of Kerala. The message from the Apex Court is clear that it is unconstitutional to exclude women and more specifically menstruating women from the mainstream of the society. Therefore lets come together and make this society a better place to live in for everyone.

Disclaimer: The views presented are of the speakers solely. Niti Manthan does not hold any liability arising out of this discussion. Kindly refer to our Terms of use or write to us in case of any concerns.


[1] https://youtu.be/Sh_vuqAw7xM.

[2] http://www.healthofchildren.com/M/Menstruation.html


Liked the article ?
Share this: