In Mumbai, The Thane Municipality Has Introduced The Concept Of A ‘Period Room’ For Ladies In Slums
From safety to sanitisation, when it comes to women almost everything has been conveniently overlooked. However, as times are changing and more awareness is being spread about women rights and issues, change can be seen coming, albeit very slowly. Especially after efforts like those made by the Thane Municipal Corporation to construct ‘period rooms’ for women.
Breaking the taboo around menstruation and addressing just how important it is to support women for it, the Thane Municipal Corporation has decided to step up by introducing the concept of a period area in slums for ladies in the neighbourhood toilet. This effort has come in coordination with a non-government organisation and we are glad for women health and hygiene is being taken seriously.
This change came in after a survey was conducted that showed how majority of the women in slum areas would find it very difficult to navigate through their periods. It was to tackle this problem that the NGO suggested the notion of a ‘period room’ to the TMC.
#India's first Period Room in a community toilet unveiled in #Thane
@FoundationMuse and @TMCaTweetAway jointly have unveiled the country's first one-of-a-kind Period Room in a community #toilet in Lokmanya Nagar. pic.twitter.com/xIoN9KyMnl— A Period Of Sharing (@POS_Muse) January 6, 2021
Also Read : Pantone Unveils A New Shade Of Red Named ‘Period’ To Lift The Lid On Conversations Around Menstruation. About Time
Manish Joshi, deputy commissioner, Thane Municipal Corporation spoke on the matter and said, “A survey has been conducted in Thane through 2019 to study women’s menstrual hygiene practices covering 1000 women in 15 slums in Thane. The primary findings of the survey revealed the heavy dependency of women in slums on community toilet and the problems they faced to manage menstruation due to lack of water, unsafe changing rooms, absence of disposal mechanism for soiled napkins.”
Hoping to address all the problems that were discovered, these ‘period rooms’ are going to be equipped with jetspray, mirror, dustbin with a lid at bottom that saves any individual from touching the soiled sanitary napkins, a soap dispenser, hooks to hang cloths and a urinal for comfort.
In addition to all of this, the walls in the room would be painted in bright colours and also educate women with important information to promote sustainable menstruation.
