Breaking Taboos About Menstrual Practices In a Kashmiri Village

In a remote village nestled in Anantnag, a district in Jammu and Kashmir, a group of 10 resilient women is spearheading a revolution in menstrual health and shattering the prevailing taboo surrounding this natural process. Led by a woman named Ridwana, this visionary group has established a manufacturing unit for sanitary pads, thereby promoting awareness and accessibility to hygienic menstrual products within their community.

“I originally hail from a neighboring village where women are comparatively more conscious about menstrual hygiene,” Ridwana told The FBomb. “Upon my marriage, I found that most of the women in the area resort to unsterilized pieces of fabric. And talking about menstrual health is a subject we have put out of bounds.”

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ridwana recognized the urgent need to address menstrual health in her community. “I thought about how even women who are well aware of menstrual hygiene would be coping during the lockdown,” she said. In 2022, she formed a group via an application for a sanitary manufacturing unit under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development’s (NABARD) “My Pad, My Right” program.

Dr. Basharat Qayoom, the district magistrate, inaugurated the manufacturing unit and highlighted the importance of the cause. “Different surveys conducted by the Ministry of Health revealed that around 60,000 cases of cervical cancer deaths are reported every year from India, and two-thirds of them are due to poor menstrual hygiene,” Qayoom told The FBomb.

Ridwana and her team manufacture sanitary pads and actively raise awareness about menstrual hygiene. Ridwana and her group have visited more than 20 villages since they launched their product and “made people aware of menstrual health,” she said, adding, “Our product named Nissa has outperformed the top-tier companies manufacturing sanitary napkins. It completely locks the fluid inside and provides better and longer protection than other products.”

The manufacturing unit’s impact goes beyond the production of sanitary pads; Ridwana has seen a positive change in the village regarding the cultural acceptance of menstruation. “The women and young girls don’t shy away from visiting our unit to purchase the product,” she said, adding with a radiant smile, “Now, talking about menstrual health is no longer a taboo, at least in the village.”

The inspiring journey of these remarkable women exemplifies the transformative power of grassroots initiatives in effecting positive change and empowering women. By boldly challenging entrenched societal norms and ensuring the availability of hygienic menstrual products, they are paving the way for a healthier and more enlightened discourse surrounding menstruation in Anantnag village.