Reproductive Health experts have lamented how, according to them, 25% of women of reproductive age and adolescent girls in Nigeria lack adequate privacy to menstrual hygiene management facilities.
The observation was made by Reproductive Health Experts who spoke at a rally held at the premises of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development in Bauchi to commemorate 2022 World Menstrual Hygiene Day, with the theme: “We are Committed”.
The Experts also raised serious concern over poor access to menstrual hygiene materials and sanitary pads among women of reproductive age and adolescent girls in Nigeria.
The rally was jointly organized by Ministries of Women Affairs, Health, Plan International and Community Initiative for the Promotion of Health and Education Sectors (CIPrHES) and was attended by students and women groups.
While addressing female students and women groups, a representative of Plan International, Bauchi, Afolabi Ahmed Shola, said that “women of reproductive age and girls are still being discriminated against in the society during menstruation”.
According to him, “also many girls don’t have equal opportunity to attend same hours in class with their boys’ counterparts, due to lack of access to menstrual hygiene and sanitary materials, including water and toilet facilities”.
Afolabi Ahmed further stressed the need for mothers and teachers to feel free and to discuss menstrual hygiene with young girls in order to build their confidence and promote menstrual hygiene.
The menstrual Hygiene Management is a $ 600,000 2 year project funded by Kimberly Clark Corp and is implemented by Plan International.
The objective according to Afolabi Ahmed is to increase the individual and collective agency of women and adolescent girls to exercise their rights to gender-responsive adolescent-friendly and incisive menstrual hygiene management.
The project he added will increase access of women and girls, men and boys to Menstrual Hygiene Management knowledge and education using safe traditional and innovative communication mechanisms.
It will also increase women’s and girls’ confidence to tackle gender-related socio_ cultural and other barriers to proper, safe and inclusive menstrual hygiene.
Afolabi Ahmed also said that the project will be implemented in three local government areas of Bauchi, Katagum and Ningi targeting not fewer than 200,000 individuals that include in and out of school adolescent girls, community and traditional leaders.
In her address, Bauchi State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Child Development, Hajara Gidado called for more commitment on the part of stakeholders to address issues affecting poor menstrual hygiene management.
Hajara Gidado thanked Plan International, Kotex and CIPrHES, for choosing Bauchi as one of the benefiting states of their Menstrual Hygiene Management Project, reiterating the ministry’s commitment to sustaining collaboration with them to address issues relating to menstrual hygiene.
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