City-based NGO Gramalaya organised awareness programmes on menstrual hygiene at schools across the city on Wednesday.
Trainers addressed nearly 5000 students of Class 9 to 12 across in various schools on the importance of menstrual hygiene and urged them to let go of the stigma arising with menstruation.
Speaking at Methodist Girls Higher Secondary School, Woraiyur, M.Elangovan, executive director, Gramalaya, said that February 5 was observed by the organisation as Menstrual Health and Awareness Day as February usually has 28 days, which is the duration of an average menstrual cycle and the average duration of “periods” is five days. ‘We ensure to take a bath, comb our hair neatly and wear neatly pressed clothes. However, women ignore menstrual hygiene as there is no awareness. We must work towards it,’ he said. He stressed the importance of imparting information on menstrual hygiene in schools and wished that schools would undertake such workshops soon. Students were given awareness booklets.
Three trainers discussed the importance of changing sanitary napkins at least once in three hours and ensuring that it is disposed of properly. ‘Sanitary napkins are dumped in sewers causing blockages and in apartment complexes, they are flushed down the toilet. Plastics and chemicals used to make them are harmful and take at least 500 years to decompose,’ they said. The plastic in pads cause rashes and inconvenience during asleep and anxiety of leak and staining, they added. The trainers urged girls to avoid taking medication for menstrual cramps without consulting a doctor.