While celebrating the World Menstrual Day, WaterAid Nigeria in collaboration with other international organizations, distributed several menstrual pads to secondary school students across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This is even as the organisation called on the federal government to focus more on the menstrual hygiene of girls by formulating direct and clear policies.
The project manager, WaterAid Nigeria, Mrs Nanbam Michael, made the call while speaking with journalists at the sensitisation programme for school girls in FCT, Abuja, as part of commemoration of 2023 World Menstrual Health and Hygiene Day.
The programme was organised by Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in collaboration with other non-governmental agencies such as WaterAid, UNICEF, PG, Yagazie Foundation, among others for teenage girls in secondary schools.
She stated that it is the right of girls and women to be adequately informed about menstrual hygiene.
She said WaterAid is supporting the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs as part of the national technical group working on the guideline for menstrual hygiene.
“This day is recognised by the United Nations General Assembly as a human rights day. It is the rights of the girls and women to have all information and materials for menstrual hygiene. And then for the government of Nigeria, they are committed to the SDG goals and the SDG goal especially called 6.2 talks about hygiene and sanitation, having access to hygiene and sanitation and then paying special attention to the needs of women.
“And their menstrual hygiene is one of the special attentions. So, the government of Nigeria says they are committed to achieving the SDG goal and they should be committed to this day. And what kind of commitment are we expecting from the government of Nigeria? We need to have policies that have direct and clear instruction about what to do about menstrual hygiene.
She stated that menstrual hygiene should not be taken for granted because if not well managed, it can cause vagina infection for the girls and it could lead to life-long infection in terms of reproductive health.
