About 40% of the rural adolescent girls inBiharuse cloth instead of sanitary napkins during their menstruation.
And, at least 5% of them are not allowed to take bath during the period, according to a study conducted by the Population Research Centre (PRC) of Patna University on ‘Menstrual Health and hygiene among adolescent girls in climatic vulnerable areas in Bihar’.
The study reveals that even among the girls who use sanitary napkins, 90% have not received any government-supplied napkin in the recent past. And, surprisingly, 67% of the girls throw the used napkins in open areas.
The study reveals that lack of access to proper disposal system and awareness force the girls to burn or bury their pads. Girls throw their used pads into toilets or other open places as their schools and colleges do not have proper disposal system. Several of the households in rural north Bihar either don’t have or don’t use toilet and as such open defecation is relatively common among the girls. Majority of the girls expressed problems related to privacy, shyness and hesitation for open defecation during menstruation. Some girls said they use neighbours’ or relatives’ toilets during menstruation. Further, they expressed lack of appropriate toilet facilities in the health centres, schools and colleges as well.