The Women Deliver 2023 Conference included a significant side event called "Menstrual Health and Hygiene: Bloody Critical for Gender Equality.” This event, organised by WASH United (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) on July 18 at the Kigali Convention Centre, explored the essential connections between menstrual health and hygiene and its role in achieving gender equality.

This event showcased the interconnectedness of menstrual health and hygiene, gender-based violence (GBV), sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), women’s economic empowerment, and girls’ education, underscoring the crucial role in promoting gender equality.

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Distinguished speakers and panellists from diverse sectors emphasised the importance of giving priority to menstrual health and hygiene as a means to empower women and girls globally.

During the first panel, moderator Katja Iversen, former CEO of Women Deliver, highlighted the importance of addressing menstrual health and hygiene in workplaces, while Jamille Bigio, the Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment at USAID, further emphasised the benefits.

"Addressing menstrual health and hygiene holistically at the workplace, including informal workplaces, can result in significant positive effects for both female employees and employers. Employers and local and national economies reap significant benefits from increased female workforce productivity,” Bigio said.

Ruth Graham-Goulder, Senior Adviser on Gender Equality at UNICEF, highlighted compelling evidence regarding the significant issue of girls missing school during their menstrual periods. This issue demands urgent attention due to its potential consequences, including increased school dropouts, teenage pregnancies, depression, and other unaddressed challenges.

"We have solid evidence from multiple studies dating back more than a decade now, from countries across the world. These point to anywhere from 10 per cent up to 60 per cent of girls missing school during their period,” said Graham-Goulder.

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Alma Burciaga-Gonzalez, Head of Latin America and the Caribbean Engagement at Girls Not Brides, said, "Shame is also violence. It stops girls from doing what they want to do. Menstrual health and hygiene shouldn’t be a privilege, it is a right. It’s a social justice issue that affects the future of girls. It is so sad to see how violence has the objective to exclude and discriminate. We are failing to address the interlinkages properly and how violence by the community affects the right of girls to decide what to do with their lives.”

Speakers in the second panel shared their insights. Helen Clark, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, drew attention to what Graham-Goulder’s views on access to menstrual health and hygiene. "The lack of access to menstrual hygiene management is a significant factor causing girls to drop out of school and hindering their ability to reach their full potential.”

A Women Deliver Young Leader from Cameroon, Liz Lum, who is also an activist in the fight for gender equality, freedom of expression, and inclusive societies, emphasised the importance of menstrual health and hygiene.

"Menstrual health and hygiene should not be an afterthought, it is fundamental to the well-being and empowerment of girls and women. It speaks to the fundamental functioning of an aspirational young girl being able to support her family, contribute to the economy, and have a positive impact on the world.”

Lum emphasised the need to challenge stigma surrounding menstruation: "Stigma, myths, and taboos surrounding menstruation perpetuate a cycle of disadvantage. These issues often remain unaddressed, hindering girls’ chances of realising their – no, our - full potential.”

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She also urged men and boys to be allies so that period stigma can be eradicated, "It is so important to see men and boys engage in learning about menstruation. SRHR is too often seen as a ‘women’s issue’ yet it is not. We ought to engage young people when speaking about menstrual health and hygiene, especially in policies. Young people need to be centred in the conversation, not marginalised.”

With emphasis on the importance of inclusive discussions, the founder of the Inua Dada Foundation, Janet Mbugua, a Kenyan actress, news anchor and media personality who has been using her voice to advocate for girls and women, urged for the inclusion of all people.

"We often exclude certain identities and or experiences when discussing menstrual health and hygiene, like women who are visually impaired or incarcerated. That is an injustice if we don’t speak up. Representation is important,” Mbugua said.

Thorsten Kiefer, Founder and CEO of WASH United, explained how USAID has increased investments in menstrual health and hygiene, education, and conducted brief research on women’s economic empowerment to highlight the importance of this concern.

With a passion for educating their fellow men, Kiefer urged them to strive for their best and become better allies by taking simple yet crucial steps.

Kiefer emphasised, "It really isn’t that difficult; you just need to do three things: Do not be a prick, call out other men who are being pricks and also be an ally and a champion. If we can do that as men, we will have a world where no one is held back because menstruation cannot be created without involving men. We are the problem. For too long patriarchy has excluded and discriminated against women due to their periods.”

The event underscored the undeniable link between menstrual health and gender equality and called for collective action, involving governments, organisations, and individuals, to break down barriers, challenge stigma, and prioritise menstrual health and hygiene as a cornerstone of empowering women and girls globally.