Apex Court Issues Notice To Centre, All States, UTs On Plea Seeking Free Sanitary Napkins To Adolescent Girls In Government Schools
(Judicial Quest News Network)
The Apex Court on Monday issued notice to Centre, States, and all UTs and sought their responses on a petition seeking issuance of directions fro providing free sanitary napkins to girls studying in classes 6 to12 in government schools across the country.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice P.S Narsimha issued notice in the petition, which also soughtsepertae girls’ washrooms in all government aided and residential schools.
The matter is scheduled to be heared in the second week of January, 2023.
The petitioner Jaya Thakur points out that females aged between11 to 16 yearscomming from poor backgrounds often lacksaccess to hygienic methods.
The petition drafted by Advocate Varun Thakur and filed through Advocate Virender Kumar Sahrma illustrates thatsteps are being taken by governmentbut stataes are not able to cover all girls through out the country.”Mensuration makes the needfor safe water, sanitation and hygiene, especially, important for women.In suchcondidtions, access to safe water , sanitation and hygiene can be a matterof life and death.
The petititoners further submits that the poor girls in the government schools are facing insurmountable difficulties in receiving education on account of lack of access to education, A Constitutional Right under Article 21A of the Constitution of Indiaand it is free and compulsory undert the Right to Education Act, 2009.
According to a report published by wateraid , illnessrelated to a lack of water, basicsanitation and hygienewere responsible for the deaths of almost 800,000 womenaround the world.in a single year making it the fifth biggest killer of women behind the heart disease, stroke, lower respiratory infectionsand chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
These are Adolescent females who are not equipped with and are also not educated by the parents about menstruationand menstrual hygiene.
The deprieved economic status and illiteracy of families of those girls leads to prevalence of unhygienic and unhealthy practices which has serious health consequences.
The petitioner submitted that menstrual health must be included with the larger frame workof sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR).
The ability to manage menstruation in a hygenicmanner is fundamental to the dignityand well-being of a women, especially in a democratic society.It constitutes an itegeral component of basic hygiene.
In order to achieve a gender equality,it is crucial that girls are able toactualize their educationalpotential, the government of India had deliberated for several years with regard tio inclusion of right to educationof a fundamental right.
Poor awareness of Physiology, Unscientific attitudes, myths and misconceptions including the notitonthat menstruationwomen arecontaminated dirty and impure adversely affected their health and social life.Thias has included the exclusion from the places of worship and home.In the Indian context menstruation has been a subject of shame and socio-economic exclusion emanating from early agricultural socities.Wgere it was seen as inauspisouse for the harvest.
The Court requested Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to assist it in the matter, given the importance of the issue raised.
