By Lizzy Carr, Bauchi
Experts have again raised concern over poor access to materials of menstrual hygiene and sanitary pads by women of reproductive age and adolescents girls in Nigeria.
They spoke at a rally to commemorate this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day, with the theme: “We are Committed”.
The event, which was held at the Bauchi state Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development organised by Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Health, Plan International and Community Initiative for the Promotion of Health and Education Sectors (CIPrHES), was attended by students and women groups.
Addressing female students and women groups, a representative of Plan International Bauchi, Afolabi Ahmed Sholal observed that 25% of women and adolescents girls in Nigeria lacked adequate privacy to the menstrual hygiene management facility.
“Women and girls are still being discriminated against in the society during menstruation; 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.”
Ahmed stressed the need for mothers and teachers to feel free and to discuss menstrual hygiene with young girls to build their confidence and promote menstrual hygiene.
The menstrual hygiene management is a $600,000 two year project funded by Kimberly Clark Corp and implemented by Plan International.
The objective, according to Ahmed is to increase 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 mechanism.
It is also to increase women and girls confidence to tackle gender related sociocultural and other barriers to proper, safe and inclusive menstrual hygiene.
Ahmed said the project will be implemented in three local government areas of Bauchi, Katagum and Ningi and 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 stakeholders to address issues affecting poor menstrual hygiene management.
Gidado thanked Plan International, Kotex and CIPrHES, for choosing Bauchi as one of the benefiting states of their Menstrual Hygiene Management Project.
She reiterated the ministry’s commitment in sustaining collaboration with them to address issues relating to menstrual hygiene.
