Menstruation not handicap, no need for ‘paid leave’ policy: Minister Smriti Irani

Digital Desk: Union Women and Child Development (WCD) minister Smriti Irani stated on Wednesday that menstruation is not a “handicap” and it shouldn’t warrant a specific policy for “paid leave”.

Manoj Kumar Jha, a member of the upper house of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), posed a question to Irani during her speech in the Rajya Sabha about the country's menstrual hygiene policy.

“As a menstruating woman, menstruation and the menstruation cycle is not a handicap, it’s a natural part of women’s life journey…We should not propose issues where women are denied equal opportunities just because somebody who does not menstruate has a particular viewpoint towards menstruation,” she said.

Irani informed the Lok Sabha last week in response to a query asked by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor that the government was "considering" making paid menstruation leave "mandatory for all workplaces."

In a written response submitted in the upper house on Wednesday, Irani said that “a small proportion of women/ girls suffer from severe dysmenorrhea or similar complaints, and most of these cases are manageable by medication.”

“However, the issue of menstruation and its associated activities are surrounded by silence, often treated with shame and associated with social taboos that restrict mobility, freedom and access to normal activities for menstruating persons, and many a times leads to their harassment and social exclusion. It becomes even more sensitive, when a girl/ menstruating person is unaware of the changes that she undergoes emotionally and physically, while facing her menstrual cycle for the first time,” she said in her response.

 

Notably, a draft Menstrual Hygiene Policy that the government produced in October promoted working leave policies for menstruating individuals.

 

“Educational Institutions and workplaces to promote inclusivity, recognize the diverse needs of the workforce and foster an environment that supports the well-being and productivity of all individuals. Provisions like flexible working arrangements, such as work from home or support leave, to accommodate the specific needs of individuals during menstruation. It is important to emphasize that such arrangements should be available to all, to prevent perpetuating stigmas or assumptions about productivity based on menstrual cycles,” the draft stated.

Jha also questioned about the laws controlling sanitary napkins and expressed worries about potential risks related to the materials used in their manufacturing.

In response, Irani emphasised the inexpensive sanitary napkin supply offered by the Jan Aushadi Kendra, stating, "Sanitary napkins are available at 1 rupee through 10,000 Jan Aushadi Kendra, and there have been no complaints."

Regarding sanitary product disposal, Irani stated, "National and state protocols for the management of sanitary products were started by the Jal Shakti ministry in 2014 after Modi Sarkar."

 

The ministry laid down many government-initiated schemes for menstrual hygiene in her written response. It said that the government is offering several programmes to encourage menstrual hygiene among teenage girls between the ages of 10 and 19.

 

"State Programme Implementation Plans are used to carry out the National Health Mission-backed Scheme for Promotion of Menstrual Hygiene, which aims to increase awareness. 

Furthermore, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has created National Guidelines on Menstrual Hygiene Management for Rural Areas under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan," she added.