Kerala Congress Lok Sabha MP from Ernakulam Hibi Eden will introduce a private member’s bill in Parliament seeking the right of women to menstrual leave and free access to menstrual health products. Eden has been a staunch advocate for menstrual rights and his campaign led to the recent decision by the Kerala government earlier this month to grant menstrual leave for female students studying in all state-run universities. The bill introduced by Eden seeks the right to paid leave and absence from work for three days for working women during menstruation in “any establishment registered with the appropriate government”. In the case of female students, Eden has suggested the right to three-day leave during menstruation as well as the right to free access to menstruation products for all women. Eden has proposed the establishment of an authority – the Female Health Products Price Regulating Authority – for carrying out the purpose of the Act. The Authority is to consist of nine members from the central government, three of whom will be the union health minister who will chair the authority, minister of women and child development who will be the vice chair and the ministers of finance, education, labour and employment as members. The other six members are to be nominated, and four of them are to be women. The bill says that the Authority will ensure availability and distribution of menstrual health products free of cost to every woman, regulate the prices of menstrual health products, create awareness, responsiveness and consciousness regarding the importance of menstrual health products and identify and give priority in access to menstrual health products to a target group including women not enrolled in full-time education or living in poverty. “Undoubtedly, menstrual awareness has increased in urban areas, with more women opting for sanitary pads rather than cloth. Not only women, people, in general, have developed a better understanding of menstruation in metro areas. Innovations in products are happening, like menstrual cups, menstrual discs, and much more. Unfortunately, society identifies women as the other half, but only for specific, indoor-bound duties, highlighting the biological difference as a mark of inferiority. Menstruation and its debilitating nature, though a reality, are often hushed,” says the bill. It further says that according to research, approximately 40 per cent of girls miss school during their periods. “While access to menstrual products is critical, equal attention should be paid to the mental trauma that girls experience during their periods. Girls should receive comprehensive counselling on menstruation and other associated issues,” it says. The bill is “intended to remove any barriers which stop women, girls and trans people accessing female health and hygiene products – items which are essential to the health, hygiene and wellbeing of those who have crossed menarche till the period of menopause,” it adds. The bill further says that certain circumstances make access to sanitary products difficult for women or trans persons, including homelessness, coercive, controlling and violent relationships and health conditions such as endometriosis. Countries like Japan, Taiwan, China, Korea, Indonesia, and Mexico have introduced within their legal framework the policy of menstrual leave. Several companies and organisations in the United Kingdom and Australia have also introduced within their local constitution a policy of menstrual leave, the bill pointed out.
