International Strides in Period Equity: UN Human Rights Council Resolution
On July 12th, 2021, the UN Human Rights Council instated a resolution, for the first time in history, in light of alleviating and addressing the following pillars: menstrual health, gender equity, and human rights.
Tackling one of the pinnacle objectives of the women’s menstrual equity movement, the resolution achieves the following landmark purposes of ensuring women and girls:
Have access to affordable, publicly-accessible period products
Safe and clean water
Adequate sanitation
Hygiene and washing facilities with soap
Choice of menstrual hygiene products
Not only does this resolution strongly promote an equitable menstrual product distribution among underserved women in the community, but also the Council has maintained a strong foothold in the realm of advocacy. Specifically, the Council has encouraged states to conduct outreach campaigns for the cause: specifically to tackle imperative issues such as stigma, shame, stereotypes, and negative social norms surrounding menstruation and menstrual hygiene, with a targeted inclusivity for men and boys in all educational initiatives.
The legislative aspect of equitable menstrual health on the global agenda remains of vital importance - especially with respect to inclusivity in national policies, national hygiene agendas and support programs, and emergency response programming.
The very fact of the matter lies in the following staggering statistic provided by the World Bank:
500 Million people across the globe are victims of the physical, mental, and emotional challenges posed by the lack of access to menstrual products.
In other words, the cost of menstrual hygiene products is - simply put - too much, and they remain increasingly unaffordable to many. The inability of menstruators to afford products including tampons, pads, or liners reinforce staggering gender inequities and a barrier set on educational prospects for women.
Ergo, the ability of women and girls to truly realize their potential is undermined due to a fundamental biological function.
The United Nations Council, in June 2022, convened at its 50th session to discuss the following topics: menstrual hygiene management, human rights, and gender equality (March 11th Blog).
The diversity of panelists - ranging from civil society organizations to United Nations agencies - has sparked ongoing insightful discussion on the best practices and challenges in the realm of menstrual equity.
The Sanitation and Water for All Secretariat, the overseeing committee for the implementation of the Resolution, has forged trailblazing footsteps to advocate a powerful agenda for enhanced menstrual hygiene for all.
Source: https://www.sanitationandwaterforall.org/news/human-rights-council-adopts-resolution-menstrual-health
”When girls are empowered to manage their menstruation safely, hygienically, without stigma, they are more likely to succeed. The new Human Rights Council resolution is an important step in the fight for full gender equality so that women’s biological processes no longer hinder their education and future prospects.”
Catarina de Albuquerque, CEO of Sanitation and Water for All
