Indian men break barriers on Menstrual Hygiene Day

International Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed on 28 May all around the world to draw attention on menstrual hygiene management as a collective global goal.  For the last three years, the MH Day movement has been calling for more action and investment in menstrual health and hygiene. To catalyse progress, there is a shift from calling for action to leading by example by committing to action.  #WeAreCommitted

On a day when the rest of the world was observing International Menstrual Hygiene Day, men in Bengaluru, Karnataka (India) took the lead in the real sense to "break the silence" on menstruation which is shrouded with shame, myths and taboos, demonstrated that menstrual hygiene management is not just girls/women's priority but everyone else's and made a commitment from the society to extend support, understanding, encouragement, facilities and material to menstruators in order to improve how they experience menstruation during their lifetime.  

In India, where we find rising crimes against women and deeply entrenched gender inequality, men's leadership has the potential in expediting equality and creating an enabling environment for girls and women.

The third edition of Men Take Lead Ride was a 49 kilometres symbolic ride on MH Day on 28 May 2022 in Bengaluru organised by Breaking the Silence Worldwide Foundation in partnership with India Bull Riders(IBR) and supported by Giddenahalli Village, Kadabugere Panchayat, Bengaluru North 562130 to call for a world where boys and men get involved in menstrual health and hygiene and beyond with respect to addressing issues that adversely affect girls and women.     

The theme for the first ride in 2017 was to "End Stigma Surrounding Menstruation", followed by 2019 where the theme was to "End Isolation of Menstruating Girls and Women." In 2022, the theme was to "End Period Poverty and Make Sanitary Care Products Affordable, Available and Accessible". With a new theme each year, the aim is to highlight the different barriers in achieving menstrual hygiene management and call for action on those targted areas.

The issues associated with menstrual hygiene management in India and developing countries are stigma, culture of silence, myths, taboos and superstitions around menstruation as a result of which there is lack of information on menstruation and hygiene. Lack of support from the family and society, access to sanitary care products, water and functional toilets, safe disposal are the road blocks in achieving MHM.

Men's role in MHM can be significant where men can be advocates and lead conversations on busting taboos, and menstrual hygiene management, and actions to address barriers at individual, institution, public level. Men Take Lead Ride aims to demonstrate how menstruation is not just a woman's business but should be a concern for every citizen in the society. For that it has received global recognition from researchers, scholars, and practitioners alike as an innovative and unique approach to address menstrual hygiene management by engaging boys and men.

It is rare to find men fighting for women's rights anywhere in the world.

The 49 kilometres ride started from Electronic City toll gate on Nice Road and continued through Magadi Road to the final destination in Giddenahalli Gram in two locations 3 kms apart viz., B.K Nagar slum and Kadabugere Panchayat and was coordinated by IBR Bengaluru Chapter Heads Ravi Shankar K M and Boppanda Sudhir Nanjappa, Men Take Lead Ride core team Satish Mohapatra, Manish Gupta, Akthar Shariff and supported by others including Koppira Darshan Ayanna, Sowmya Ram, Koushik and Gargi Lahiri. The motorcycles in Men Take Lead Ride included classic 350, 500, standard 350, Himalayan, interceptor from Royal Enfield brand, Triumph Tiger and BMW. The convoy was accompanied by support team members in cars that accompanied the ride with drinking water, rider kits, first aid, snacks items, banners, registration documents and so on. Men Take Lead Ride 2022 ride marshals were Nandeesh, Vikram Gajendra and Boppanda Sudhir Nanjappa who  ensured direction, moderated speed, each rider was riding in a straight line in a beautiful formation, that the last rider was not left behind.

Shreya Krishnan, Mrs India 2017 who has been supportive ever since Men Take Lead ride was started, flagged off the ride for the second consecutive year. 

#AskMeForAPad :

 A new initiative was launched where men will carry sanitary care products with them when they step out, offer them to girls/women who need them and wear helmet, car, laptop or jacket stickers which read #AskMeForAPad to help menstruators identify them as enablers. The thought behind this is to communicate the role of boys and men as enablers for girls/women during their periods rather than the cause for ragging in schools and colleges and embarrassment at work or public places. Core team member Manish Gupta came up with this brilliant idea.The biker goodies this year included a pouch, sanitary napkins, different stickers for helmet and car, and a pledge card. 

Sanitary care products distribution in B.K Nagar and Giddenahalli Gram (village),Kadabugere Panchayat:

Sanitary pads of good quality were distributed to more than 300 adolescent girls and women in B.K Nagar, a slum and Giddenahalli, a village after the local coordinator, Saroja Puthran, a well- known grassroot leader and community voice in Karnataka gave the welcome address. Urmila Chanam, Founder of Breaking the Silence spoke on the significance of International Menstrual Hygiene Day, the major barrier in attaining menstrual hygiene and health and the solutions while core team member and solid waste management expert, Pinky Chandran spoke on the importance of opening conversations and involving everyone. Boppanda Sudhir Nanjappa addressed the community with how Men Take Lead Ride aims to deliver a message that men have an important role to play in menstrual health and women's health and well- being. Additional supply of sanitary pads were handed over to the President of Gram Panchayat, Anita and Member of Shree Shakti SHG Federation, Saroja Puthran for subsequent distribution.

The men in the community were very supportive and participatory in the program. One of them gifted all the bikers and the team cloth masks which has become an essential commodity during COVID-19. A rich interaction took place on issues surrounding menstrual health and hygiene between the community and Men Take Lead Ride team moderated by the Gram Panchayat and women grassroot leaders. The highlight was how men led the conversation on menstruation, and the kind of care which it deserves at personal and community level for which the community applauded them.

The long procession of bikers reaching a far- flung slum certainly seemed to have made a great impact. It was a great sight to see men proactively in the front with Men Take Lead Riders carrying the sanitary napkins from the vehicle to the community hall.

Taking a pledge on International Menstrual Hygiene Day 2022:

Men Take Lead Ride 2022 bikers and participants jointly took the customary pledge to break the silence on menstruation, talk about menstruation in our family and society at large, do our best to ensure sanitary care products are available, accessible and affordable, and last but not the least, to be enablers for girls and women so that they can manage their menstruation with pride and privacy.

Eminent people from different walks of life and different parts of the world addressed Men Take Lead Ride.

Jensine Larsen (Portland,USA), Founder and CEO of World Pulse

Archana Patkar (Mumbai, India), United Nations Officer

Sister Zephaniah (Gujrangwala, Pakistan), an educationist and humanitarian

Colonel Inaobi Singh Chanam (Imphal, India), a war veteran from Indian Army

James Riamei (Imphal, Manipur), vocalist and musician from GMP THE BAND

Azazul Haque (Mumbai, India), Advertising and Media Expert, Media Monks

Shreya Krishnan (Bengaluru, India), Mrs India World 2017

Even though a lot is being done to increase the variety of sanitary care products, equal emphasis needs to be given to make them affordable, available and accessible to all girls and women in India and prevent focus on just urban, financially literate and independent women with resources. It is important to ensure capitalism does not take precedence over creating equity, and ensuring rights of menstruators and each one of us in the society has a role to play.

More about our work can be read here: breakingthesilencereddroplets.com