Bhubaneshwar Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Chairperson Babita Batra on Thursday said menstruation is a natural part of life and society must create an environment where girls and women can talk openly about menstrual health with dignity and confidence.
Addressing the Health and Hygiene Conclave 2026 here, Batra stressed that no girl or woman should feel excluded, embarrassed or insecure because of her menstrual cycle. “A compassionate and enlightened society is the foundation of menstrual dignity for all,” she said.
On the occasion of Menstrual Hygiene Day 2026, the Odisha Menstrual Health and Hygiene Alliance, led by Aaina in collaboration with UNICEF, organized a state-level multi-stakeholder dialogue on the theme “Rising Together: Transforming Menstrual Health as a Fundamental Right”.
Speaking at the conclave, Additional Director General of Police of Odisha, Shini S, said that there are still major challenges in ensuring that girls and women have access to safe water, clean toilets and sanitary pads across the country be it in schools, colleges, workplaces or even while traveling on roadsides and public places.
“These are not luxuries but basic necessities that must be guaranteed so that every woman and girl can manage her menstrual cycle with safety, comfort and dignity,” she said.
She also questioned the idea of celebrating the first cycle, saying that such practices are often accompanied by exclusionary and discriminatory social customs.
Sheni said that celebrating without dignity, freedom and respect has little meaning, and stressed that women themselves should support each other because they are in a better position to understand these experiences.
She also called for boys and men to be included in conversations about menstruation, saying that empathy and awareness among all genders are essential to dismantling stigma and building a more equal and dignified society.
Prasanta Kumar Dash, UNICEF Odisha Field Director, noted that taboos and restrictions surrounding menstruation persist in many parts of the country despite increased access to sanitary products. He said normalizing menstruation in society should start with open conversations at home, schools, workplaces and communities.
“Odisha’s Khushi Scheme and similar initiatives are important steps towards improving menstrual hygiene, but breaking the stigma requires collective social change,” Dash said.
Noting that menstrual health is closely linked to healthcare, safety, equality, self-respect and human dignity, Batra also called for collective efforts to break the harmful taboos and discriminatory practices that persist in many parts of the country.
“Schools, hostels, anganwadi centers and healthcare institutions must become safe and menstrual-friendly spaces with proper sanitation, healthcare support and access to menstrual products,” Patra said, adding that these efforts are directly linked to the goals of good health, quality education, gender equality, clean sanitation and reducing inequality.
Transforming menstrual health and hygiene into a fundamental right is a collective call to action rooted in dignity, equality and human well-being, said Professor Shripad Karmalkar, Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar.
“Health, hygiene, dignity and well-being are rights that belong to every individual,” he said, adding that menstrual health is an integral part of the constitutional rights to life, dignity and privacy under Article 21.
Karmalkar said the Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar, along with its Research and Entrepreneurship Park, has emerged as a leading hub for menstrual health and hygiene innovation through collaboration with UNICEF, Odisha Health and Hygiene Alliance and other partners.
He said the institute took progressive measures such as allowing female students to work from home for two days during menstruation, launched innovation hackathons and awareness projects, and became the first IT institute in the country to recycle used menstrual products.
Menstrual health “is not just a health issue, it is also an issue of dignity, equality, inclusion and intersectionality,” said Dr Soumya Uma, professor and director of the Center for Women’s Rights at OP Jindal School of Law.
She said discrimination against menstruating women undermines the constitutional promise of the right to life with dignity under Article 21, and noted that restrictions imposed on menstruating women and girls are rooted in notions of “purity and pollution.”
Referring to the Supreme Court’s Dr Jaya Thakur v Union of India 2026 judgment, Uma said menstrual hygiene management has now been elevated from a welfare concern to an enforceable constitutional entitlement linked to the right to life, education, privacy, independence and substantive equality.
Speakers at the conclave also highlighted ongoing challenges in access to safe water, clean toilets and sanitary products in schools, colleges, workplaces and public spaces, stressing that these basic amenities are essential to ensure women and girls are able to manage their menstrual cycle safely, comfortably and with dignity.
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