New Delhi: It’s hard to imagine that in the 21st century not only are women still fighting for gender equality to stake a claim for what is rightfully theirs, but they continue to wage a battle to fight societal bias and ignorance about something as basic as sanitary pad. Generations of women have silently suffered through their menstrual cycle without knowledge, guidance or healthy alternatives, given the stigma attached to this natural process that every woman goes through every month. Even in today’s day and age women use and reuse cloth or worse, use dust or husk during their periods, not realising the dangers of these unhygienic methods and the price they have to pay. 45-year old Sabu Devi Kalbelia learnt it the hard way. A tribal woman, a daily wager and mother of two, she lives in a hut in a remote Titoli village in Rajasthan‘s Bhilwara district, where they still don’t have access to toilets despite five years of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and defecate in the open. Sabu Devi has not known any other method to handle her periods except the rag she would reuse after a wash every time. But around two years ago it landed her in grave danger.
Also Read: Menstrual Hygiene: Rajasthan’s New Campaign Encourages Women To Break Menstruation Taboos
Talking about her ordeal, she told NDTV,
I am not literate and so I was working as a mason until two years back. One day while working I felt gnawing pain in my abdomen region. I ignored it thinking I must have pulled some muscles as I used to carry heavy bricks on my head. I tried to soothe it by using hot bricks for fomentation. After no relief, I had to see a doctor in the government hospital of my block. The doctor asked me to get some tests done including a sonogram. In the sonogram, it showed that there is an army of ants inside my uterus and this has happened because of using a dirty cloth during menstruation. The doctor told me that I need an operation immediately and my womb needs to be removed. While I had no intentions of giving another birth, I was very scared to lose my womb, an organ of my body. Also, the expense of operation and medicines was over one lakh that added to the economic burden on us.
Till that moment she had no clue that like many other women the method she was using since she was a teenager, can put her life in danger.
Sabu Devi says as is the practice, women do not talk about menstruation and other women related health issues. She said,
We do not let men in the family know that we are on our periods. It is a very shameful thing.
Because of this tradition, like Sabu, many other women of her community, do not dry the cloth used during menstruation in open after washing it. They usually put it under a saree or some other cloth because of which the cloth is not exposed to direct sunlight and does not dry properly.
According to Sabu Devi, she is not the only woman in her village who has lost her womb because of using ‘ganda kapda’ (dirty cloth). She said,
There are some women even younger than me who have got their womb removed because of complications caused by using the dirty cloth. Some even put sand and mud inside the cloth so that it had hold more blood.
NDTV tried to reach out to some of the other women as well but they were too shy to share their story with media.
Sabu Devi’s trauma didn’t cease after her operation, to try to recover the cost of operation she resumed working during her recovery period and started experiencing constant pain in her back. After sometime Sabu Devi had to give up working altogether. Given her husband’s old age and her medical condition, both are now dependent on their 24-year old son whose meagre earnings come from daily wage masonry jobs he picks up. Sabu Devi’s son says,
I know she is not doing well and I know why but what can I do? If you want I can show the sonogram report. My mother is an unfortunate woman.
According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) IV, in India, 42 per cent of women in the age group 15-24 use sanitary napkins, 62 per cent use cloth, and 16 per cent use locally prepared napkins. Overall, only 58 per cent of women in this age group use a hygienic method of menstrual protection.
Dr. Mohammad Rafiq, Rajasthan nodal officer, Department of Health and Family Welfare says that, in order to help girls and women manage their periods safely, the state of government of Rajasthan has been distributing sanitary napkins to girls in the age group 10-19 through the health department since past few years. He said,
Girls in the age group 10-19 who are enrolled in government schools get 12 pads per month from the school and those who are out of schools get the same from the anaganwadi centres.
However, there is no scheme/programmes being run by the state government to provide sanitary pads to women who are 20 years and above.
The Department of Women and Child Development, on the other hand, has been organising awareness-building programmes like ‘Chuppi Todo’ to break the stigma around menstruation and encourage women and girls talk about the issues they face during menstruation.
Tara Ahluwaliya, a social activist who has been working on raising awareness about safe menstrual hygiene management in rural parts of Rajasthan said,
There is an extreme lack of access to information and safer ways of managing periods among women from tribal and scheduled caste community in rural parts of Rajasthan. While the state government is running a sanitary napkin distribution scheme for young girls in schools and anaganwadi centres, it is absolutely not enough. There is a need to focus on menstrual hygiene along with menstrual health at the grassroots level.
She further said that many girls and women are made to feel like untouchables, stop going to schools, barred from entering religious spaces or kitchen and even made to sleep in a separate room, which is often outside the house. This is despite the fact that many of the girls get a supply of sanitary pads either from the school or the anganwadi centres. She said,
The problem is beyond the issue of hygiene. Supplying sanitary pads alone cannot fight the stigma associated with menstruation and women’s body. Even as we are in the 21st century and we are trying to become a superpower, we are very much behind in providing holistic health and wellness to our women. Something as basic and natural as periods is looked upon so badly. There is still an urgent need of initiatives that can foster healthy conversations around women’s bodies and menstruation. Also, these conversations need to happen with not only adolescent girls but with women of all ages as the older women play an important role in imparting information and supporting young girls.
It will not be easy to uproot some of these beliefs and practices that are deeply entrenched in society. The extent of the problem can be gauged from the fact that even after facing such grave life-threatening situation Sabu Devi’s 15-year old daughter still uses cloth during her periods. She apparently cannot afford to buy sanitary napkin every month.
World
India
State & District Details
State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
DistrictCases Mumbai45,478 Thane13,660 Pune9,920 Mumbai Suburban5,363 Aurangabad1,974 Nashik1,575 Raigad1,462 Palghar1,421 Solapur1,291 Jalgaon1,039 Akola757 Nagpur692 Kolhapur646 Satara629 Ratnagiri350 Amravati291 Dhule228 Hingoli208 Jalna201 Ahmednagar190 Nanded176 Yavatmal150 Sangli145 Latur139 Osmanabad125 Sindhudurg114 Buldhana88 Parbhani78 gondia69 Beed54 Nandurbar42 Gadchiroli42 Bhandara41 Chandrapur32 Washim13 Wardha11 | 21,21,119 8,807 | 60,559 5,955 | 20,08,623 2,772 | 51,937 80 |
DistrictCases Kannur357 Kasaragod333 Palakkad224 Malappuram119 Kollam118 Thrissur106 Thiruvananthapuram104 Pathanamthitta98 Kozhikode90 Alappuzha76 Kottayam73 Ernakulam60 Idukki40 Wayanad36 | 10,45,009 4,106 | 53,153 1,796 | 9,87,720 5,885 | 4,136 17 |
DistrictCases Udupi1,176 Kalaburagi669 Yadgir538 Bengaluru Urban529 Raichur369 Mandya346 Belagavi337 Bidar219 Hassan205 Davangere204 Vijayapura201 Dakshina Kannada179 Chikkaballapura149 Mysuru107 Bagalkote103 Uttara Kannada95 Shivamogga67 Dharwad61 Ballari60 Gadag45 Bengaluru Rural40 Tumakuru36 Kolar29 Haveri24 Chikkamagaluru19 Chitradurga14 Koppal5 Kodagu4 Ramanagara3 Chamarajanagara0 | 9,49,183 334 | 6,096 15 | 9,30,778 313 | 12,309 6 |
DistrictCases Kurnool795 Krishna557 Guntur511 Anantapur428 East Godavari356 Chittoor319 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nell*296 Y.S.R.205 West Godavari199 Srikakulam183 Prakasam104 Visakhapatnam103 Vizianagaram23 | 8,89,503 94 | 603 28 | 8,81,732 66 | 7,168 |
DistrictCases Chennai23,324 Chengalpattu1,314 Thiruvallur774 Villupuram509 Kanchipuram503 Tiruvannamalai496 Cuddalore477 Ariyalur444 Tirunelveli433 Tuticorin333 Kallakurichi324 Madurai322 Salem258 Coimbatore188 Virudhunagar185 Dindigul175 Perambalur133 Ranipet133 Thanjavur130 Theni129 Tiruchirappalli119 Ramanathapuram119 Tiruppur116 Kanniyakumari110 Tenkasi103 Nagapattinam99 Karur88 Namakkal83 Erode75 Vellore71 Thiruvarur67 Pudukkottai53 Sivaganga46 Tirupathur45 Krishnagiri43 The Nilgiris17 Dharmapuri15 | 8,49,629 463 | 4,062 12 | 8,33,089 469 | 12,478 6 |
DistrictCases North West5,463 Central4,817 West4,768 New Delhi3,405 North3,059 East2,472 South East2,446 South West2,391 South2,329 North East1,914 Shahdara1,580 | 6,38,373 200 | 1,137 128 | 6,26,331 70 | 10,905 2 |
DistrictCases Gautam Buddha Nagar1,119 Agra933 Ghaziabad794 Meerut504 Lucknow386 Saharanpur298 Kanpur Nagar286 Moradabad252 Varanasi243 Hapur225 Aligarh215 Basti214 Amethi206 Rampur203 Jaunpur194 Firozabad190 Barabanki168 Gorakhpur166 Bulandshahr166 Siddharth Nagar159 Ghazipur159 Bijnor157 Deoria143 Azamgarh138 Sant Kabeer Nagar132 Mathura129 Ayodhya120 Muzaffarnagar117 Sambhal116 Sultanpur97 Ambedkar Nagar92 Maharajganj85 Amroha80 Rae Bareli78 Bahraich73 Kheri72 Kannauj69 Baghpat68 Kushi Nagar67 Bhadohi60 Ballia60 Gonda59 Etah52 Hardoi49 Balrampur49 Mau48 Mainpuri46 Etawah46 Hathras43 Unnao42 Jalaun41 Jhansi41 Shamli40 Chandauli38 Auraiya37 Farrukhabad36 Sitapur32 Prayagraj30 Banda27 Shahjahanpur25 Shravasti23 Budaun23 Mirzapur22 Bareilly17 Kasganj16 Pratapgarh15 Pilibhit15 Sonbhadra10 Kaushambi6 Kanpur Dehat4 Chitrakoot4 Lalitpur3 Hamirpur3 Mahoba3 Fatehpur3 | 6,03,103 128 | 2,190 78 | 5,92,192 203 | 8,721 3 |
DistrictCases Kolkata2,777 Howrah1,435 24 Paraganas North1,031 Hooghly604 24 Paraganas South281 Maldah235 Dinajpur Uttar216 Coochbehar210 Birbhum206 Medinipur West159 Medinipur East153 Nadia139 Purba Bardhaman130 Murshidabad125 Bankura116 Darjeeling97 Jalpaiguri88 Paschim Bardhaman70 Purulia66 Dinajpur Dakshin50 Alipurduar39 Kalimpong18 Jhargram9 | 5,74,301 202 | 3,377 22 | 5,60,668 221 | 10,256 3 |
DistrictCases Ganjam581 Jajapur322 Khordha238 Baleshwar190 Kendrapara164 Cuttack155 Bhadrak137 Balangir129 Puri103 Sundargarh102 Jagatsinghapur91 Nayagarh86 Mayurbhanj73 Nuapada69 Gajapati61 Dhenkanal36 Boudh34 Kendujhar34 Deogarh33 Kalahandi33 Sonepur29 Kandhamal28 Anugul26 Malkangiri20 Bargarh16 Koraput16 Sambalpur16 Jharsuguda8 Nabarangpur2 Rayagada2 | 3,36,835 68 | 588 22 | 3,34,333 90 | 1,914 |
DistrictCases Jaipur2,177 Jodhpur1,748 Udaipur724 Bharatpur563 Kota503 Nagaur500 Ajmer379 Dungarpur374 Pali352 Jhalawar329 Bhilwara250 Sikar231 Chittorgarh188 Tonk171 Jalore164 Rajsamand140 Sirohi130 Bikaner112 Banswara91 Alwar90 Churu81 Jhunjhunu64 Dausa61 Dholpur60 Baran59 Jaisalmer53 Barmer34 Hanumangarh31 SawaiMadhopur26 Karauli17 Pratapgarh14 Ganganagar8 Bundi5 | 3,19,801 99 | 1,204 9 | 3,15,812 90 | 2,785 |
DistrictCases Bilaspur100 Korba100 Mungeli87 Baloda Bazar85 Jashpur77 Janjgir-Champa56 Mahasamund54 Rajnandgaon52 Kabirdham52 Raigarh47 Raipur46 Balod41 Korea39 Durg31 Bemetara21 Kanker19 Balrampur17 Surguja14 Gariyaband10 Surajpur9 Dhamtari6 Bijapur2 Bastar2 Dantewada0 Kondagaon0 Narayanpur0 Sukma0 | 3,11,680 247 | 2,911 66 | 3,04,956 309 | 3,813 4 |
DistrictCases Hyderabad2,475 Ranga Reddy183 Suryapet87 Jagitial77 Nizamabad76 MedchalMalkajgiri75 Mancherial43 YadadriBhuvanagiri40 Jogulamba Gadwal40 Vikarabad40 Nalgonda33 Warangal Urban32 Mahabubnagar30 Sangareddy26 Khammam26 Adilabad22 Nirmal21 Karimnagar17 RajannaSircilla16 Medak11 Kamareddy11 Mahabubabad10 Jayashankar Bhupalapally9 Nagarkurnool8 Kumuram Bheem Asifabad8 Jangoan8 Siddipet7 Peddapalli5 Bhadradri Kothagudem5 Warangal Rural4 Mulugu3 Narayanpet3 Wanaparthy1 | 2,98,264 207 | 1,852 107 | 2,94,782 99 | 1,630 1 |
DistrictCases Gurugram2,950 Faridabad867 Sonipat404 Rohtak145 Palwal120 Jhajjar114 Karnal104 Hisar98 Ambala93 Panipat78 Nuh68 Bhiwani60 Rewari56 Kurukshetra55 Sirsa50 Kaithal48 Mahendragarh47 CharkiDadri43 Panchkula39 Fatehabad38 Jind38 Yamunanagar19 | 2,70,097 130 | 955 47 | 2,66,099 82 | 3,043 1 |
DistrictCases Ahmadabad17,125 Surat2,311 Vadodara1,555 Gandhinagar410 Mahesana159 Banas Kantha147 Bhavnagar146 Rajkot135 Arvalli134 Mahisagar125 Anand107 PanchMahals107 Patan105 SabarKantha101 Kachchh99 Kheda98 Jamnagar63 Bharuch56 Botad55 Surendranagar55 Valsad47 GirSomnath45 Dohad43 Chhotaudepur37 Naysari35 Junagadh31 Narmada25 DevbhumiDwarka22 Amreli16 Porbandar11 Tapi6 Dang5 Morbi4 | 2,68,147 380 | 1,869 83 | 2,61,871 296 | 4,407 1 |
DistrictCases Patna279 Bhagalpur266 Rohtas256 Khagaria253 Begusarai243 Madhubani199 Munger188 Jehanabad178 Katihar175 Darbhanga143 Samastipur139 Siwan139 PurbiChamparan138 Purnia135 Banka134 Buxar134 Nalanda123 Gopalganj123 Nawada122 Sheikhpura118 Gaya115 Kaimur (bhabua)105 Bhojpur103 Saran101 Muzaffarpur96 Saharsa88 Supaul87 Vaishali87 Madhepura82 Kishanganj75 Aurangabad75 Sitamarhi73 Lakhisarai72 Araria68 Pashchim Champaran57 Arwal52 Jamui47 Sheohar20 | 2,62,357 54 | 509 39 | 2,60,310 92 | 1,538 1 |
DistrictCases Indore3,839 Bhopal1,880 Ujjain799 Burhanpur351 Neemuch319 Jabalpur276 East Nimar266 Sagar228 Gwalior211 Khargone196 Dewas140 Dhar132 Mandsaur112 Morena109 Bhind87 Raisen71 Barwani60 Ratlam51 Rewa39 Shajapur39 Hoshangabad37 Vidisha37 Chhatarpur35 Betul35 Rajgarh31 Dindori29 Sheopur26 Damoh26 Satna24 Anuppur22 Panna20 Tikamgarh18 Sidhi17 Narsinghpur17 Chhindwara16 Agar Malwa15 Mandla15 Shivpuri15 Jhabua14 Shandol14 Singrauli13 Ashoknagar13 Datia12 Sehore12 Umaria10 Balaghat9 Guna8 Harda4 Alirajpur3 Katni3 Seoni2 Niwari0 | 2,60,313 344 | 2,270 119 | 2,54,186 223 | 3,857 2 |
DistrictCases Kamrup Metro276 Golaghat203 Nagaon143 Hojai89 Dima Hasao86 Karimganj85 Tinsukia84 Cachar80 Dibrugarh61 Hailakandi57 Lakhimpur57 Marigaon50 Dhemaji47 Kamrup42 Kokrajhar37 Dhubri30 Charaideo29 Barpeta28 Udalguri28 Sonitpur27 Jorhat24 Nalbari23 Darrang20 Sivasagar20 Goalpara19 Biswanath16 Baksa14 KarbiAnglong13 Bongaigaon12 Chirang6 West KarbiAnglong5 South SalmaraMancachar4 Majuli2 | 2,17,454 27 | 1,606 2 | 2,14,757 25 | 1,091 |
DistrictCases Amritsar485 Jalandhar297 Ludhiana293 Tarn Taran163 Gurdaspur154 Hoshiarpur140 S.A.S Nagar137 Patiala132 Sangrur107 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr)99 Pathankot86 Rupnagar (Ropar)74 Faridkot74 Sri Muktsar Sahib71 Moga65 Bathinda60 Fatehgarh Sahib57 Fazilka53 Firozepur50 Kapurthala44 Mansa31 Barnala25 | 1,79,819 558 | 3,598 303 | 1,70,435 248 | 5,786 7 |
DistrictCases Anantnag395 Srinagar300 Kulgam295 Baramulla271 Shopian255 Kupwara231 Bandipora175 Udhampur155 Ramban151 Jammu138 Budgam110 Pulwama108 Kathua53 Rajouri39 Ganderbal37 Poonch35 Doda27 Reasi26 Samba25 Kishtwar10 Mirpur0 Muzaffarabad0 | 1,26,093 74 | 771 5 | 1,23,367 69 | 1,955 |
DistrictCases East Singhbum170 Ranchi148 Hazaribagh110 Garhwa80 Ramgarh75 Koderma58 Simdega48 Dhanbad32 Gumla28 Palamu27 West Singhbhum21 SaraikelaKharsawan20 Giridih19 Bokaro16 Latehar14 Khunti10 Lohardaga8 Deoghar5 Dumka5 Pakur4 Jamtara2 Godda2 Chatra1 Sahebganj0 | 1,19,719 32 | 431 16 | 1,18,201 47 | 1,087 1 |
DistrictCases Dehradun370 Nainital323 Tehri Garhwal110 Haridwar94 Udam Singh Nagar83 Almora71 Champawat45 Pithoragarh43 Chamoli36 PauriGarhwal36 Bageshwar31 Rudraprayag30 Uttar Kashi24 | 97,031 | 491 0 | 94,850 | 1,690 |
DistrictCases Hamirpur117 Kangra105 Una41 Solan32 Chamba29 Bilaspur21 Mandi21 Sirmaur11 Shimla10 Kullu4 Kinnaur2 Lahaul And Spiti0 | 58,457 34 | 229 11 | 57,233 23 | 995 |
DistrictCases South Goa69 North Goa57 | 54,700 52 | 495 16 | 53,416 35 | 789 1 |
DistrictCases Pondicherry111 Mahe4 Karaikal2 Yanam0 | 39,656 28 | 189 10 | 38,801 17 | 666 1 |
DistrictCases Dhalai196 Sepahijala174 Gomati74 South Tripura53 Unakoti49 West Tripura45 Khowai24 North Tripura14 | 33,400 | 25 22 | 32,984 22 | 391 |
DistrictCases Churachandpur32 Kangpokpi26 Imphal West21 Thoubal18 Imphal East10 Tengnoupal9 Bishnupur7 Senapati6 Chandel5 Kamjong5 Ukhrul4 Jiribam3 Pherzawl3 Kakching2 Tamenglong2 Noney1 | 29,250 7 | 41 5 | 28,836 2 | 373 |
DistrictCases Chandigarh313 | 21,541 41 | 250 23 | 20,940 17 | 351 1 |
DistrictCases Changlang31 Papum Pare8 Lohit3 Namsai2 West Siang1 East Siang1 Upper Siang1 Tawang1 PakkeKessang1 West Kameng0 Upper Subansiri0 Tirap0 Siang0 Shi Yomi0 Anjaw0 Lower Subansiri0 Lower Dibang Valley0 Longding0 Leparada0 KurungKumey0 KraDaadi0 Kamle0 East Kameng0 Dibang Valley0 Lower Siang0 | 16,836 | 4 0 | 16,776 | 56 |
DistrictCases East Khasi Hills22 West Garo Hills5 South West Garo Hills4 North Garo Hills1 West Jaintia Hills1 West Khasi Hills1 East Garo Hills0 East Jaintia Hills0 Ribhoi0 South Garo Hills0 South West Khasi Hills0 | 13,958 3 | 18 2 | 13,792 5 | 148 |
DistrictCases Dimapur20 Mon8 Kohima7 Kiphire3 Tuensang3 Peren2 Phek1 Longleng0 Mokokchung0 Wokha0 Zunheboto0 | 12,192 | 8 4 | 12,093 4 | 91 |
DistrictCases Kargil77 LehLadakh43 | 9,807 11 | 53 8 | 9,624 3 | 130 |
DistrictCases East District3 South District3 North District0 West District0 | 6,132 | 47 0 | 5,950 | 135 |
DistrictCases South Andamans33 Nicobars1 North And Middle Andaman1 | 5,016 | 4 1 | 4,950 1 | 62 |
DistrictCases Kolasib11 Aizawl10 Mamit8 Lawngtlai2 Lunglei2 Saitual1 Champhai0 Hnahthial0 Khawzawl0 Saiha0 Serchhip0 | 4,413 | 23 1 | 4,380 1 | 10 |
DistrictCases Dadra And Nagar Haveli20 | 3,404 2 | 4 2 | 3,398 | 2 |
DistrictCases Lakshadweep District0 | 322 6 | 86 6 | 236 | 0 |