In the world’s second most populous country with nearly 355 million menstruating women, 23% of adolescent girls drop out of school after their first period. Only 12% of females in the country use sanitary pads. 10% of girls in India believe that menstruation is a disease [1]!
While ‘faeces’ and ‘urine’ have become mainstream, the topic of menstruation still remains taboo. So, what is...
Menstruation is probably one of the least talked about and ill-understood biological concepts. Despite being a natural physiological function of the female human body, similar to urination or defecation, the menstruation discourse is often shrouded by reticence.
This is because a complicated network of taboos and customs surround it. In India, it is not uncommon to find mothers who find...
The 73rd amendment to the Constitution of India made Gram Panchayats the hub of all activities in the rural sphere. It gave legitimacy to Panchayat institutions, devolving powers as well as finances for their effective functioning. 29 functional items were added to the Eleventh schedule of the Constitution, vesting the powers of planning for and implementing works relating to these...
Author: Madhu Thakar
Open defecation cannot be eliminated just by providing a hole in the ground with an oversized umbrella over it and christening it a ‘toilet’. There appears to be an unseemly hurry in building toilets all over the country without understanding the theory behind them.
Constructing toilets is a significant part of the overall Water,...
The rights and needs of the fairer sex being overlooked by a male dominated society is not something that is unheard of. Access to education, health services and sanitation are given a cold shoulder when it concerns women.
