Menstrual Hygiene Day: UNFPA emphasises care, hygiene for women

Dr Babatunde Adelekan, the National Programme Officer, Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) and HIV/AIDS (ASRH/HIV/AIDS) of UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has emphasised care and hygiene for women during menstruation.

He made the call in an interview in Abuja on the sideline of an event to mark the 2022 Menstrual Hygiene Day, which is annually celebrated on May 28 in many countries around the globe.

Supreme reports that menstruation is the monthly shedding of the lining of a woman's uterus, commonly known as the womb.

Also known as menses, menstrual period, cycle or period, the menstrual blood, which is partly blood and partly tissue from the inside of the uterus, flows from the uterus through the cervix and out of the body through the vagina.

The annual Menstrual Hygiene Day is to highlight the importance of menstrual care, and raise awareness about issues faced by women and girls who don't have access to clean water and sanitary products.

The theme of the 2022 celebration is: "Making Menstruation a Normal Fact of Life by 2030", an effort to build a world where no woman/girl is held back because she menstruates.

Adelekan, therefore, described women's menstrual cycle as "a normal and natural process, and nothing to be stigmatised about."

The programme officer, who expressed the determination of the UNFPA to continue to uphold the dignity of girls and women in the world, said "in UNFPA, we have a mantra that says — zero tolerance for Gender-Based Violence and Harmful Practices, so, this action is in line with our mantra."

He added that women deserve the best care from the society, as well as provision of hygienic sanitary pads during their menstrual cycle.

Earlier, Mr Funsho Adebiyi, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, had described women as "precious personalities to both man and God."

Adebiyi reminded women of their power to change situations through prayers, saying that God would always answer their prayers.

He pledged the ministry's support to the development, empowerment and defence of women's rights.