Sustainable Sanitary Pad: A Case from Tamil Nadu

Abstract

According to the WHO survey conducted in October 2017 carried out across India including 35 cities viz., Bengaluru, Chennai, Cuttack, Delhi, Indore, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Ranchi, Srinagar, Surat and Thiruvananthapuramwomen respondents were contacted to get an idea about issues related to women. It has been revealed that about 43 percent of Indian women did not have access to sanitary essentials at the beginning of periods, while 36 percent felt uncomfortable in buying them with other customers around. Further, according to the survey report around 67 percent women have had to borrow a sanitary essential from a friend, colleague or family member. More than 45 percent women opined that menstruation was still considered a taboo in the society and 36 percent felt uncomfortable while buying sanitary essentials from a chemist shop in the presence of other customers. To address the situation at grassroots level many organizations have been working at different levels like awareness creation, producing of cheap sanitary pads etc. One such organization is Gramalayawhich has been operating in Thottiyam and Thathaiengarpet and Thuraiyur Block in the rural areas and in the slums of Tiruchirappalli City Corporation in Tiruchirappalli District. They are promoting sustainable sanitary pads by producing these through self-help Groups (SHGs). In this article based on a study carried on 1^st December 2018, a case is presented.