“It is incredible that in the middle of 2022 menstruation continues to be a stigma, there is no information, it is not talked about, women continue to hide. It is time to talk about a dignified menstruation, ”she told The Economist Palmira Camargo, Vice President of Communication for Essity Latin America.
In response to this problem, the forum “Essential conversations: challenges and actions for a menstruation worthy“. This is the first space of its kind where data, dialogue and the announcement of some actions were presented. Members of civil society organizations, companies, governments and the media gathered in this space, and it also featured the participation of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).
During the meeting it was recognized that the main problem in Mexico is ignorance about menstruation, which has resulted in three outrageous barriers:
Silence, which has created taboos and has aggravated prejudice. We don’t talk about menstruation because, in general, we don’t talk about the woman’s body. In this sense, Camargo shared with data from UNICEF: only 5% of families talk about menstruation with their sons and daughters, and only 16% of young people have precise knowledge on the subject. “This is a gap to be bridged.”
Lack of access to safe, accessible and hygienic toilets. According to data from Unicef Menstrual Hygiene ProgramIn Mexico, 43% of girls and adolescents prefer to stay at home than go to school during their menstrual period; 30% use toilet paper instead of sanitary pads; 66% think the bathrooms in their schools are dirty; and 73% wash their hands without soap.
“There are 41 days a year (the menstrual cycle) and this ultimately implies absenteeism that is reflected in a gap in equal opportunities (…) We need to feel safe. How is a girl who is menstruating going to go to school if she knows that there is no drinking water, that she does not lock the bathroom, that she does not feel safe because the bathroom has a hole and she knows that someone might be watching? . That prevents menstruation from being managed”.
Photo EE: Courtesy Fundar
The little education and comprehensive understanding of the process in all social areas. It is estimated that between 10-15% of menstruating people suffer from disabling pain and, however, in schools and workplaces in Mexico they do not have considerations for those who suffer from it. “A dignified menstruation has to be adequate, that is to say that each person has access to the hygiene products that are needed. With data from Unicef, it is known that 63% of girls do not have free access to menstrual management products. Many of them also do not have access to buy sanitary pads, so another relevant piece of information is that these girls prefer to stay at home when they are menstruating,” said Camargo.
Lack of data to design better public policies
During the forum, the participants recognized important advances, such as the zero tax rate for menstrual hygiene products and legislative initiatives in the states aimed at improving the situation of women and all menstruating people. However, they agreed that at the national level there is no survey that gives us reliable data on how menstruation is in Mexico to generate policies. For this reason, the application of a national survey was announced to learn more about how menstruating women and people experience their cycle and their menstrual period.
The survey by #MenstruaciónDignaMéxico, Unicef and Essity, will delve into the issues of infrastructure, legislation, physiological aspects, management methods and the cultural and social context of menstruation, taking into account the effects brought by the Covid-19 pandemic. . 3,000 surveys will be applied nationwide and in the states of Michoacán, Tamaulipas, Oaxaca, Chihuahua and Baja California to adolescents, adult women and other menstruating people between 12 and 70 years of age.
“This will allow us to understand a little about the climacteric issue, we will touch on infrastructure, access to hygiene products, legislation, physiological aspects, impediments to daily life, hygiene habits, costs and accessibility, a question will be added about the link with Covid -19, because at some point there was talk of the relationship with the disease.
Camargo concludes that with these results the idea is to present it to the academy, the government sector, legislature, teachers, parents, companies, so that we all know about the subject and stop being a taboo.
Dignified Menstruation Law
In accordance with Found, an average woman needs 360 pads or tampons per year. This expense can represent up to 720 pesos per year to be adequately covered, equivalent to 5% of the total expenses of a household of the poorest 10% in Mexico.
The initiative Dignified Menstruation Mexico seeks to eliminate 16% VAT on all menstrual management products and make these free for menstruating people who cannot access them.
Since March 2, Michoacán became the first state to give the green light to the Dignified Menstruation Law, which is required to provide free sanitary pads and tampons in schools.
More than 16 states today have initiatives on the Dignified Menstruation Law on their agendas, seeking free education.
On April 28, 2021 the Chamber of Deputies voted in favor of reforming the General Law of Education so that state educational and health authorities have the obligation to provide free menstrual management products in elementary, middle and high schools. This law has not entered into force, since the initiative was turned over to the Senate of the Republic, where it must be discussed and voted on.
To know more
Manuals on menstrual health and hygiene are available through UNICEF at: https://www.unicef.org/mexico/informes/manuales-sobre-salud-e-higiene-menstrual
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