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The Hindu
4 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
The politics of periods: why India cannot afford to ignore menstrual health
Imagine Priya, a bright 13-year-old in a village nestled miles from the nearest town. Her first period arrives not with understanding or support, but with hushed warnings and a palpable sense of shame, passed down through generations. Given a rough, inadequate piece of cloth, she's quietly instructed to avoid the kitchen, refrain from touching the shared water pot, and crucially, stay home from school during those five days each month. The school's basic toilet lacks water, privacy, and disposal facilities, making managing her period there an unthinkable ordeal. Fearful of leaks, whispers, and breaking unspoken rules, Priya isolates herself, her education disrupted, her potential dimmed with each recurring cycle. Priya's story, sadly, is not unique. It echoes the lived experience of countless girls and women across India, particularly in rural areas. As Menstrual Hygiene Day observed on May 28 prompts reflection, it is crucial to acknowledge that while awareness around menstruation is growing in India, it remains largely absent from the mainstream political agenda and public discourse. Menstrual health is often relegated as a 'women's issue,' shrouded in a pervasive culture of silence and coloured by patriarchal notions that limit knowledge and open conversation. This silence translates into a chronic health and social challenge, where many lack adequate information, access to necessary products, and face stigma, impacting their well-being and participation in society. While efforts to distribute sanitary pads are visible and sometimes feature in government schemes, we must recognise that true access demands a fundamental shift beyond products towards systemic policy change and robust infrastructure. A complex reality Focusing solely on period product distribution dangerously simplifies this complex reality. While commendable progress has been made, with National Family Health Survey-5 data indicating that around 78% of individuals who menstruate in India may use commercial period products, this statistic masks a deeper infrastructural gap. The figure plummets dramatically when we consider those who have access to both products and essential water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities – clean, private toilets with water and soap. Shockingly, only about 27.7% benefit from this comprehensive access. This stark difference highlights a critical point: distributing pads achieves little genuine progress towards dignified menstrual health if individuals lack the basic infrastructure needed to manage their periods hygienically and privately, particularly in schools and public spaces. This lack of essential WASH facilities remains a persistent barrier, often highlighted during crises that disrupt normal life. The current political landscape shows some commendable, albeit limited, steps. Various Central and State government schemes, such as those under the National Health Mission or State-specific initiatives like 'Asmita Yojana' in Maharashtra or 'Swechcha' in Andhra Pradesh, aim to provide subsidised or free sanitary napkins, primarily targeting adolescent girls in schools. While valuable, these initiatives often face limitations. Their focus frequently excludes women outside the school system, those in the workforce, or other vulnerable groups. Additionally, distribution can be hampered by external factors like school closures, and the focus often remains narrowly on disposable pads, without adequately expanding knowledge on diverse, sustainable options like menstrual cups (despite pioneering efforts in States like Kerala and Karnataka) or addressing the crucial need for safe disposal and the environmental impact of sanitary pads. This lack of strong, consistent political backing, often stemming from the underrepresentation of women and their allies in decision-making spaces, means menstrual health remains a relatively neglected public health concern, susceptible to policy oversights like initial exclusion from essential items lists during emergencies or debates around taxation. Integration into national policy framework Therefore, building a truly stigma-free, inclusive menstrual health infrastructure demands its integration into the core of our national policy framework. This means legislating for mandatory, comprehensive, and scientifically accurate menstrual health education within school curricula for all students, treating it not just as biology but as essential for equity and empowerment. It requires prioritising and funding national standards for MHM-friendly WASH facilities in all public institutions – viewing this as critical infrastructure essential for public health, education continuity, and enabling of full economic participation. Health policy must be reformed to train healthcare providers for sensitive care, integrate MHM screening and treatment into primary healthcare, ensure insurance coverage, and use inclusive language for all who menstruate. Fair fiscal policies, such as eliminating discriminatory taxes on essential menstrual products and exploring targeted subsidies, are needed to ensure affordability is not a barrier to dignity. Policy levers should encourage supportive workplace environments with adequate facilities and understanding for menstrual health needs, recognising its impact on labour force participation. Crucially, these comprehensive interventions must be framed not as an expenditure, but as a strategic political and economic investment. Ensuring economic viability requires moving beyond siloed projects. Funding for MHM should be integrated into existing budgets for Health, Education, WASH, Gender Equality, and Rural/Urban Development, leveraging existing political and administrative structures. Smart fiscal tools like tax reform and targeted subsidies offer cost-effective ways to improve access. Supporting local social enterprises producing affordable, sustainable menstrual products can boost local economies, create jobs, and reduce import dependency, aligning with national development goals. Most importantly, policymakers must recognise and champion the significant return on investment: improved educational attainment, increased workforce participation, better public health outcomes, and accelerated gender equality far outweigh the costs. The economic and social cost of inaction – perpetuated by silence and policy neglect – actively undermines India's broader development objectives. This Menstrual Hygiene Day, the call must be for decisive political action. We need political leaders and parties to champion menstrual health not as a marginal issue, but as fundamental to human rights, public health, and national progress. It requires integrating MHM robustly into national development plans, legislative agendas, and resource allocation. While the efforts of NGOs and local champions are vital, sustainable change at scale hinges on political will. It is time to break the silence in our policy chambers and build an India where everyone can manage their menstruation with dignity, safety, and informed choice – unlocking the full potential of half our population. (Karan Babbar is an incoming assistant professor at Plaksha University. Email: phd17karanb@
Fox Sports
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Darian DeVries faces a tall task in helping put Indiana back on the national basketball map for good
Associated Press New Indiana Hoosiers coach Darian DeVries hit all the right notes Wednesday. He wants a roster that reflects today's changing game yet still plays a selfless, hard-nosed style. He intends to go heavily into the transfer portal this year but recruit multiyear players in coming years. And, of course, he plans to win now — and for years to come. It's exactly the kind of promises Hoosiers fans have been hearing for nearly a quarter-century but that have gone mostly unfulfilled. At his introductory news conference, DeVries promised this time would be different, even at a school where lofty expectations have been the norm for decades. 'I hope everybody, every fan base wants to win. I want to win. We all want to win,' he said. 'The passion is awesome. You want passion in a fan base. You want that. You thrive off that. Our players thrive off that. Nobody is going to want to win as bad as I do or our players do or our staff does or our fans do. So from my standpoint, let's do that together. Let's go make this thing happen and let's take this thing to as high a level as we can." No, the 49-year-old DeVries wasn't quite as blunt as Hoosiers football coach Curt Cignetti, who started his tenure in December 2023 by challenging anyone who doubted he could win at Indiana to Google him. Make no mistake, though, DeVries' message was the same. He spent six seasons as Drake's head coach, leading the Bulldogs to more 20-win seasons in DeVries' tenure than the program had in its entire history, two regular-season Missouri Valley Conference titles and back-to-back league tournament championships before taking the West Virginia job. It took him one season to make the Mountaineers relevant again, going from 9-23 with a last-place Big 12 finish in 2023-24 to a 19-13 mark and the cusp of an NCAA Tournament bid this season — a bid many thought was deserved. Then, exactly a year after landing at West Virginia, DeVries returned to his Midwestern roots, explaining he couldn't turn down the chance to join one of the nation's traditional blueblood programs and put it back on the national map — for good. 'This is one of the premier schools, basketball schools in the entire country,' DeVries said. 'I enjoyed my time when I was a grad assistant at Creighton all the way up through assistants and head coaching, and now I'm looking forward to this next step. I believe we can do some special things here, so I'm really excited.' So are Hoosiers fans, who have become more accustomed to mediocre records and hopeful of NCAA tourney bids over the past two decades. Indiana missed the 68-team field in each of Mike Woodson's final two seasons and landed in the First Four in the first of his four seasons. As a result, Woodson and the athletic department decided in February this would be his final season coaching his alma mater. But the problems predate Woodson's arrival in 2021-22: Indiana missed the tourney five straight times from 2017-21. The Hoosiers haven't been to the Sweet 16 since 2016 and haven't gone any deeper since playing for the 2002 national championship. They believe that DeVries, the seventh coach since the late Bob Knight was fired, will be the one to restore Indiana's glory. 'He's a proven evaluator and developer of players,' athletic director Scott Dolson said. 'We wanted to make certain that we had a modern playing style. We have to have a head coach that understands where things are going. It was really important to us. We wanted someone that really wanted to be here. We felt we were in recruiting mode, but at the same time we wanted someone that really was recruiting us.' All DeVries must do now is deliver on the promises with the results Indiana has been seeking, pretty much since the moment of Knight's firing. 'The chance to lead one of the biggest brands in college basketball was something I could not pass up,' DeVries said. 'We have an administration here that is 100% in alignment with navigating through this whole new era of college athletics, from the top down. There's no doubt that there's an extreme commitment to making sure we are on the upper edge of all of that. There are resources available here that are among the best in the entire country." ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. recommended
