Menstrual Hygiene A Priority At The Khelo India University Games

Guwahati: With an aim to enhance women’s hygiene accessibility and raise awareness on menstrual hygiene, the organisers of the Khelo India University Games, Ashtalakshmi have installed sanitary napkin vending machines and eco-friendly incinerators for disposal of the used pads in the stadiums. The vending machines have been installed at the female washrooms in the stadiums, with clear instructions on the usage. The instructions are printed in three languages — Assamese, English and Hindi — for the convenience of the athletes, coaches, support staff and technical officials.

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Assam Minister of Sports & Youth Welfare Nandita Gorlosa said that the arrangement will be a permanent one at the stadium, and the vending machines will also gradually be installed across other sports complexes to create more awareness on menstrual hygiene at the grassroots level in sports.

As quoted by a Khelo India press release, Nandita Gorlosa said,

It (sanitary pads from vending machines) will be a permanent arrangement across the stadiums even after the completion of the Khelo India University Games. Yes, it will be there across other sports complexes as well.

Along with the vending machines, eco-friendly incinerators for the disposal of used pads are also in place across the stadiums.

The idea behind the installations was not only to create awareness and empower women athletes to take control of their health and well-being, but also to do away with the problem of napkins clogging the drain pipes with so many athletes coming in for the Games.

In the coming days, the organisers are planning to hold workshops for volunteers and athletes to create awareness on female hygiene and normalise conversations around menstruation.

The workshops will be conducted by leading gynaecologists, according to an official.

The organisers have also taken several steps to ensure the safety of women athletes and coaches of the universities, participating at the event.

A committee, comprising four female ACS officers has been constituted to ensure the safety of female athletes, coaches, support staff, and technical officials.

For women-related issues and grievances, the four female officers can be reached out at the following phone numbers – 98641-13251, 98641-81463, 84720-04177 and 70863-35296.

The official informed that there has not been any calls received on the helpline so far, which is a testament to how a safe environment has been created to conduct the games.

Also Read: Period Talks: Many Women Feel Menstrual Leave At Workplace Should Be A Valid Option

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.