it's my fourth blogging anniversary today! here's to a great forthcoming year. i extend my love to those who continue to read my blog posts and who have helped blogging become as big of a part of my life as it is now. thank you!
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2.4 billion people worldwide lack adequate toilet access. 1 billion have no choice but to practice open defecation. Two-thirds of the world's poor over the age of 16 are women. Along with the already onerous struggles of accessing food, water, and shelter, poor women around the world are faced with a disproportionate lack of accessibility when it comes to their hygienic needs.
Being able to buy a pack of pads or tampons isn't as simple as a Walmart run for some women, nor is using the bathroom multiple times a day as most of us are able to do so comfortably. With the burden of menstruation and a dearth of women's health products available and sanitation facilities to change these products regularly during their periods, poor women face another heap of a struggle. When the vaginal infections that many suffer from are met with poor or no medical care, they can escalate to become life-threatening. And because many women can't access bathrooms and have to publicly defecate, they're opening themselves up to sexual assault. Not only is proper hygiene a marker of dignity and honor for many women, when they have proper sanitation facilities within an arm's reach, their well-being and health improves.
Menstruation is, globally, a prime reason for girls' prolonged absences from school. Before the Indian government launched National Guidelines on Menstrual Hygiene Management, at least 113 million adolescent girls were at risk for entirely dropping out of school due to the arrival of their first period. Because of periods being heavily stigmatized in many societies, menstruation isn't even considered to be a problem women might face; for example, bangles and shovels remain tax-free in India, while a 12% tax still remains on women's sanitation products. How much longer will women's sustenance be threatened before governments validate the need for accessible menstrual products? Why are tax-free bangles expected to make a positive impact when tax removal on menstrual products might make them substantially more affordable for the women who need them the most?
Another mountainous problem for poor women is access to clean water, and an inequality in the collection of water worldwide. Giving birth to a baby, for example, without proper access to water or clean sanitation, makes not only the delivery difficult, but can cause maternal complications and health issues for the mother and child alike. Additionally, a lack of clean water can make accessing infant feeding formula, which is essential to prevent the babies of HIV-ridden mothers from contracting it, difficult. Women are also more susceptible to sexual assault not only when they defecate at night, but when they are sent long distances to fetch water.
In conclusion, it's crucial that we lift stigmas against menstrual health for women and recognize hygiene products as something women are starkly bereft of. Women need access to better sanitation facilities to improve their well-being and prevent sexual assault as well as to protect themselves from infections and diseases; additionally, they need access to fresh water as a basic necessity and to decrease child mortality. It's of paramount importance that we improve the sanitation of women in developing countries.
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2.4 billion people worldwide lack adequate toilet access. 1 billion have no choice but to practice open defecation. Two-thirds of the world's poor over the age of 16 are women. Along with the already onerous struggles of accessing food, water, and shelter, poor women around the world are faced with a disproportionate lack of accessibility when it comes to their hygienic needs.
Being able to buy a pack of pads or tampons isn't as simple as a Walmart run for some women, nor is using the bathroom multiple times a day as most of us are able to do so comfortably. With the burden of menstruation and a dearth of women's health products available and sanitation facilities to change these products regularly during their periods, poor women face another heap of a struggle. When the vaginal infections that many suffer from are met with poor or no medical care, they can escalate to become life-threatening. And because many women can't access bathrooms and have to publicly defecate, they're opening themselves up to sexual assault. Not only is proper hygiene a marker of dignity and honor for many women, when they have proper sanitation facilities within an arm's reach, their well-being and health improves.
Menstruation is, globally, a prime reason for girls' prolonged absences from school. Before the Indian government launched National Guidelines on Menstrual Hygiene Management, at least 113 million adolescent girls were at risk for entirely dropping out of school due to the arrival of their first period. Because of periods being heavily stigmatized in many societies, menstruation isn't even considered to be a problem women might face; for example, bangles and shovels remain tax-free in India, while a 12% tax still remains on women's sanitation products. How much longer will women's sustenance be threatened before governments validate the need for accessible menstrual products? Why are tax-free bangles expected to make a positive impact when tax removal on menstrual products might make them substantially more affordable for the women who need them the most?
Another mountainous problem for poor women is access to clean water, and an inequality in the collection of water worldwide. Giving birth to a baby, for example, without proper access to water or clean sanitation, makes not only the delivery difficult, but can cause maternal complications and health issues for the mother and child alike. Additionally, a lack of clean water can make accessing infant feeding formula, which is essential to prevent the babies of HIV-ridden mothers from contracting it, difficult. Women are also more susceptible to sexual assault not only when they defecate at night, but when they are sent long distances to fetch water.
In conclusion, it's crucial that we lift stigmas against menstrual health for women and recognize hygiene products as something women are starkly bereft of. Women need access to better sanitation facilities to improve their well-being and prevent sexual assault as well as to protect themselves from infections and diseases; additionally, they need access to fresh water as a basic necessity and to decrease child mortality. It's of paramount importance that we improve the sanitation of women in developing countries.
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