All people who menstruate should have access to proper care and basic needs, and menstrual health should be a priority as it is a human right. Poor menstrual hygiene could lead not only to physical health problems such as reproductive and urinary infections but also to issues related to mental health, linking the menstrual cycle to a negative feeling and leaving people who menstruate ashamed. The recognition of menstrual health as a human right is, in the end, an issue of bodily autonomy for girls, women and menstruating people in general, who are entitled to certain protections and the possibility of choosing how to address and live their cycle in a dignified and healthy way.
What is MHM?
MHM Country Legal Mappings
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Africa
- Burkina Faso
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Mali
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Uganda
America
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Canada
- Colombia
- Mexico
- United States: Illinois
- United States: New York
Asia + Pacific
- Australia
- Bangladesh
- India
- Nepal
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
The History of Menstrual Health Management
In 2005, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF introduced the term menstrual hygiene or menstrual hygiene management (MHM) to address the issues surrounding menstruation. This refers to using clean menstruation products or materials that can be changed in privacy, as often as needed, and with the proper facilities to clean and dispose of them safely[1].
On July 26th, 2021, the Human Rights Council issued Resolution 47/4, establishing the link between the right to the highest attainable physical and mental health and menstrual hygiene. Later, on June 22nd, 2022, at the Human Rights Council’s 50th Session Panel discussion on menstrual hygiene management, human rights and gender equality, the High Commissioner for Human Rights made a statement on menstrual health. She recognised its importance and called for a broader implementation of human rights obligations by States to ensure a human rights approach to menstrual health[2].
Moreover, on this same day, WHO called for menstrual health to be recognised, framed and addressed as a health and human rights issue, not a hygiene issue[3]. This means that menstrual health entails physical, psychological, and social dimensions that need to be addressed from the perspective of a life course, and that comprises access to information and education about the menstrual products they need; water, sanitation, and disposal facilities; to competent and empathic care when needed; to live, study and work in an environment in which menstruation is seen as positive and healthy not something to be ashamed of; and to fully participate in work and social activities.
[1] WHO/UNICEF (2012) Consultation on draft long list of goal, target and indicator options for future global monitoring of water, sanitation and hygiene. Available at https://washdata.org/sites/default/files/documents/reports/2017-06/JMP-2012-post2015-consultation.pdf
[2] https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2022/06/high-commissioner-human-rights-statement-menstrual-health
[3] https://www.who.int/news/item/22-06-2022-who-statement-on-menstrual-health-and-rights
[4] Hennegan J, Winkler IT, Bobel C, Keiser D, Hampton J, Larsson G, Chandra-Mouli V, Plesons M, Mahon T. Menstrual health: a definition for policy, practice, and research. Sex Reprod Health Matters. 2021 Dec;29(1):1911618. doi: 10.1080/26410397.2021.1911618. PMID: 33910492; PMCID: PMC8098749.
