Jutha Gupah,
The Centre for Advocacy, Transparency and Accountability Initiative (CATAI) has said that about 500 million girls and women lack access to menstrual products with health risks.
According to the Centre, menstruating girls and women face challenges of practicing menstrual health and hygiene in schools and communities.
CATAI’s Executive Director, Abubakar Sadiq and the Borno Women Development Initiative (BOWDI) raised the alarm, yesterday (Wednesday), in Maiduguri, Borno state, on reproductive health led by a gynecologist.
He attributed the challenges to lack of Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and menstrual products that cause health risks to their reproductive and urinary systems.
He lamented the inability of girls and women to manage their menstrual cycle in a dignified manner.
Continued; “Improper menstrual hygiene management and other disposal facilities, including sanitary pads and gender-sensitive toilets in schools could cause many girls miss educational activities.”
He added that every Nigerian girl of reproductive age has a right to affordable menstrual products, as they comprise essential human needs.
“Menstrual is unaffordable to girls and women, including low-income ones and other vulnerable persons in communities,” he said.
Dr. Ann Peter, a gynecologist with the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), urged the Federal and State Governments to prioritise policies that guarantee the rights of women to menstrual hygiene.
She said the governments should ensure access to essential facilities that protect their dignity and the prevention of health risks associated with menstruation.
Her words: “The menstrual hygiene policy should be in accordance with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“Humanitarian organisations and stakeholders, are to sponsor the distribution of subsidized menstrual pads for women below the poverty line, including the vulnerable girls in communities.”
End.
