Menstrual Health Management (MHM) also known as ‘Period Poverty’ remains a challenge for women, especially in low-income nations within Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to a survey conducted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), women and girls from less endowed communities who do not have access to menstrual products are forced to use improvised, unhygienic materials such as pieces of blankets, chicken feathers, old rags, newspapers, and mud, putting long-term consequences on their health and well-being.
Improving menstrual health management can substantially improve girls’ education, health, and well-being.
The difficulty to access sanitary materials can also affect women across education, work, economic opportunity, and physical and mental well-being leading to women missing out on opportunities crucial to their growth and development.
In the area of education, the lack of access to sanitary products and facilities contributes to higher rates of school absenteeism and poor academic performance.
Previous studies have shown that when women and girls are unable to adequately manage menstruation in school, their school attendance and performance reduce.
Poor school attendance has far-reaching consequences on the future of girls their self-esteem, health outcomes, and sense of control.
The situation can also limit job opportunities for women and girls as women may reject certain job offers and may be forced to lay off working hours and wages.
There is a rise in international interest in promoting menstrual health and hygiene by professionals, experts, women’s advocates, NGOs, and human rights and global development specialists following ongoing campaigns on poor menstrual hygiene management.
Some governments across the Sub-Sahara region are responding to these campaigns and are increasingly taking actions to tackle period poverty, for example, by removing taxes on menstrual products.
A Non-Governmental Organization IBG Foundation and its partners have called on the government and relevant stakeholders to scale up efforts to tackle the burden of Period Poverty across the country.
The foundation as part of efforts in providing equal opportunities for women and girls under Sustainable Development Goal Five (SDG 5), is holding an annual international conference on gender equality and women’s empowerment under the auspices of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection and among other partners to contribute to the achievement of SDG 5 in Ghana.
The IBM Foundation further indicated that as MHM cuts across many developmental sectors, it will continue to call on the government, policymakers, and developments practitioners in Ghana to make proper consultation and look for practical resources to integrate this approach recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) into interventions in the educational sector, social protection, water and sanitation sector, health, and other related development programs.
The organization is thus recommending affordable and tax-free sustainable menstrual hygiene products, wider access to menstrual hygiene management and sanitation facilities, a better workplace policy for women, and increased access to information and education to help break the stigma surrounding menstruation.