The role of men in menstrual health management

• In the landmark verdict which declared the right to dignified menstrual health as part of the right to life and education under the Constitution, the Supreme Court emphasized that young boys and male teachers have a multifaceted role in menstrual hygiene and awareness for school-going adolescent girls.

• The absence of menstrual hygiene facilities in schools is not the only barrier that impedes education but rather it is only half the problem. 

• More often than not, the environment within which the girl child is acquiring education, is equally impeding, if not a greater barrier.

• A school may have adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene, but an unsupportive, rather hostile and stigmatised environment would render them of no use. 

• The environment at school is not a monolith of females, it consists of young boys, male teachers, and male staff. 

• Until the whole ecosystem is sterilised of the stigma associated with menstruation, the infrastructural efforts would remain underutilised.

• Menstruation should not be a topic that is only shared in hushed whispers. 

• It is crucial that boys are educated about the biological reality of menstruation. 

• A male student, unsensitised towards the issue, may harass a menstruating girl child which may discourage her from attending school.

• In this context, the responsibility weighs even heavier on the male teachers. They must be sensitised to the needs of a girl child. 

• For instance, a request to the restroom or the sudden need to leave the classroom must be treated with sensitivity rather than straight dismissal or invasive questioning. 

• On one hand, male teachers can integrate accurate, stigma-free information into lessons. At the same time, the staff would be responsive towards maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in toilets. 

• On the other hand, peers and classmates would be empathetic and helpful.

• Time is over ripe that we recognise menstrual health as a shared responsibility rather than a woman’s issue. 

• Awareness must not be limited to girls, but extends to boys, parents, and teachers.

• When menstruation is discussed openly in schools, it ceases to be a source of shame. 

• Needless to say, it must be seen as a collective effort rather than a constitutional pull.

• The court noted that ignorance breeds insensitivity, knowledge breeds empathy.