Period poverty; Raising awareness ,taking responsibility and action.

 

Miss universe of 2021 harnaaz kaur sandhu has been one of the people raising awareness for period poverty throughout her reign in the office. She has launched an initiative called mestrual equality which in her words will metamorphose “period
poverty to period powerty” by reaching about five million women who have no access to clean and safe menstrual care starting of with those in India. This is most definitely quite the mount as the total number of women world wide experiencing period poverty is an estimate of five hundred million.

Now,during the miss south africa 2022 pageant, harnaaz asked the question; between men or women, who is to blame for the current situation of Period poverty. This was directed to the first runner up of the pageant ayanda thabethe. As much as I agree with ayanda's answer which was individuals in authority since they are indeed responsible for the combating of problems in the society, I believe that everyone has the power to cause change. You do not have to be a millionaire to buy a pack of sanitary pads for the less privileged child in your neighborhood or be a member of parliament to construct a clean bathroom for your local secondary school. We as individuals can effect change, be it a man or a woman. What is needed is to learn to love one another and have a patriotic attitude towards social problems.

Not only that , but among of the major factors to blame for period poverty are stigmas and taboos around menstruation aswell as stereotypes. However times are changing and modernization has taken affect as people are beginning to normalize talks that where once hushed by the society.

With that, it is time that each one of us feel responsible for the current situation surrounding us, amongst others and do something about it, as little as it might be. Summing up these singular efforts up will produce plurality action that will further us in our goal of empowering women to contribute to development.