Namaste, Assalamu Alaikum, and a warm good morning to everyone gathered here today.
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I am speaking to you from the Secretariat Office
of the Global South Coalition for Dignified Menstruation (GSCDM), located in
Radha Paudel Foundation, Kathmandu, Nepal.
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On behalf of all the organizers—Prof. Sunita,
Prof. Sanghamitra, myself, and the dedicated teams at the Anthropose India
Foundation (AIF) and GSCDM—a very warm welcome to each of you.
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After two years of joint preparation, we are
honored to finally welcome you to this international conference.
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Thank you so much for joining us.
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Menstruation has been an integral, natural
phenomenon of human existence since the emergence of Homo sapiens.
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Yet, alongside human civilization, menstrual
practices have evolved in ways that associate menstrual blood with fear,
impurity, and weakness—producing and reproducing both visible and invisible
forms of menstrual discrimination.
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To us, menstrual discrimination
encompasses a broad range of perceptions and practices, including silence,
taboos, stigma, abuse, social restrictions, and the denial of resources.
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It impacts menstruators throughout their entire
lifecycle in diverse settings worldwide, manifesting through thousands of
euphemisms, forms, and magnitudes.
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It constructs inequal power relation,
patriarchy, and fuels exclusion from early childhood.
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It is a form of domestic violence,
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a cause
and consequence of sexual and gender-based violence,
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a
violation of child rights, and,
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fundamentally, a violation of universal human
rights.
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Since 1948, the concept of "dignity"
has stood as a core principle of human rights.
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A single discriminatory menstrual practice can
violate multiple rights at once: the right to dignity, freedom, equality, and
non-discrimination.
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Yet,
global normative frameworks have routinely failed to acknowledge this.
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Neither the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights nor the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) explicitly address the multifaceted nature
of menstrual discrimination.
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Similarly, Sexual and Reproductive Health and
Rights (SRHR) frameworks overlook it.
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While teaching reproductive anatomy,
distributing free products, eliminating menstrual product taxes, and building
toilets are necessary interventions, they do not guarantee menstrual dignity.
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We must ask ourselves: to what extent do these
structural interventions actively dismantle patriarchy and cultivate a culture
of true equality and inclusion which is constructed since childhood and make a
vicious circle of it?
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The global menstrual movement has accomplished
vital work over the past several decades. However, international bodies like
the WHO, UNICEF, and UNESCO have often relied on frameworks centered around
"menstrual hygiene," "menstrual health," or "menstrual
management." These concepts can unintentionally reinforce colonial,
medicalized paradigms without unpacking the root cause: menstrual discrimination.
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Simply using the word "dignity" in menstrual
conversation is not the same as practicing Dignified Menstruation.
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This is where the Global South Coalition for
Dignified Menstruation firmly stands.
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We challenge conventional definitions by
centering Dignified Menstruation as an essential human rights concept.
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While Nepal’s government drafted a national
policy on Dignified Menstruation into national policy in 2017, the concept
itself is rooted in four decades of lived experience and personal struggle of
myself.
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At seven years old, I first encountered
menstrual discrimination at home.
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I witnessed my mother and sisters forced to use
separate plates, forbidden from touching plants, excluded from social spaces,
and kept away from shared family areas.
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I grew up traumatized by these practices and by
the oppressive dynamics around me.
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At nine years old, I survived a suicide attempt;
later, I ran away from home for a week to escape these enforced rituals.
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These experiences shaped our mission.
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Dignified Menstruation is a holistic,
human-rights-based, lifecycle-oriented, decolonial approach.
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It asserts a simple truth: menstruators are
everywhere—and therefore, menstrual dignity must exist everywhere.
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At home, in schools, within communities, across
workplaces, and in parliament.
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Each of us brings a unique background,
methodology, and perspective to this space today.
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But the central question we must all confront
is: Are we truly centering menstrual dignity in our work?
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I congratulate all our presenters, and extend my
sincere gratitude to our chairs, reviewers, and attendees for making this conference
possible.
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Together, let us build the foundation needed to
amplify the urgency of Dignified Menstruation globally.
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I wish us all an inspiring, successful, and
transformative conference.
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Thank you.
