As a part of The Right to Menstrual Health Project, we conducted a Menstrual Health Management (MHM) sensitization and skill training workshop with the male and female students of Gujarat National Law University. As this was the first of its kind engagement with men on the issue of menstruation and MHM, the session was a learning for us (the trainers) and the trainees alike. We realized that the subject is still tricky for men to acknowledge as a policy issue, owing to their poor understanding of the basic concepts and processes associated with menstruation.
Apart from learning about the types and usage of available menstrual resources (sanitary pads, menstrual cups, cloth pads, tampons), for the first time, the participants were also trained to educate adolescent children (both males and females) in underprivileged schools about effective MHM practices and their respective roles in the same. The male participants, along with their female counterparts also learnt about the lack of access, problem of discrimination and how these adversely affect women’s sexual and reproductive health and well being, and deliberated on solutions to tackle these issues.
