BEHIND THE BARS: WHEN IT'S THAT TIME OF THE MONTH

 BEHIND THE BARS: WHEN IT'S THAT TIME OF THE MONTH

INTRODUCTION

Menstrual hygiene is something which is yet to be established in many parts of the world. We have come a long way from dismissing period as a taboo to finally see the importance of period poverty and hygiene. Depriving women and girls from adequate menstrual products, privacy and sanitation facilities is a violation of basic human rights and dignity. Women are hesitant to talk about period, buy pads, tampons and menstrual cup from shops, they supress the pain and agony within themselves because the period was never taught to them as a biological process but rather as untouchability. Now women with liberty face such struggles and worries, then think about those behind the bars. This blog will discuss about the menstrual hygiene in prisons and the difficulties faced by women prisoners during their periods.

BLEEDING IN SILENCE 

Prisons are rarely designed with women in mind. From the infrastructure to the policies being utilized, there is a clear bias towards men and the male majority. Unfortunately, imprisoned women and specifically menstruators have suffered the most from this marginalization. 

In prisons, menstrual products are either not available at all, or are given out far too sparingly. Some of these women get just a few pads a month- and may be able to clean, reuse and repurpose dirty materials, scraps of rags, or simply go without. Additional accounts highlight the lengths these incarcerated women must go to obtain sanitary items: bartering and negotiating ultimately degrading their already limited dignity as a product. 

Most importantly, the access to menstruation supplies may not be an inconvenience but a danger. Infection rates such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) and reproductive tract infections (RTIs) skyrocket as hygiene with regards to menstruation and sanitation is compromised. If any of these infections are combined with the lack of clean water, privacy, soap, and lack of disposal methods, the menstruation process and experience become a lot more painful, humiliating, and simply unnecessary.

STRUGGLES

Menstruating women suffer not only from a lack of supplies but also from institutionalized ignorance and social stigma. In environments where male officers outnumber female officers, menstruation is uncomfortable to speak about, or is insensitive to mention. Orders for pads are routinely denied or mocked when they are made. Women have reported punishment or degradation for bleeding through their clothes or bed sheets, as if it were a crime to menstruate.

In cultures with taboo surrounding menstruation or traditionally stigmatized menstruation, the stigma only deepens behind walls. When she should expect assistance, she instead is met with silence, judgment, or, at worst, complete denial.

STEPS TAKEN

India’s Model Prison Manual (2016) does profess to offer sanitary napkins free of charge and healthcare, but implementation is not uniform. Many state prisons do not provide women even basic access, and funding for women's hygiene and proper healthcare and sanitary items, if not non-existent, amounts to very little in prison budgets.

The Supreme Court of India has continued to reiterate the right to dignity and health while in custody, but there has not been systematic reform which enables this legal right. The United Nations Bangkok Rules (2010) also stipulate providing women in custody with sanitary products.

Likewise, the Nelson Mandela Rules focus on non-discriminatory healthcare in prison. Despite all these frameworks, menstrual neglect remains all over the world.

MEASURES TO BE TAKEN

To track this issue and provide a solution, certain measures should be taken and they are listed below:

1. Free and Sufficient Access:

All menstruating prisoners must be given free, adequate sanitary supplies fully at regular intervals with no request or usage without payment from their very limited resources.

2. Dignified Sanitation Facilities:

Maintain the toilets, provide running water, waste bins/collection, privacy. A clean toilet is not a luxury; it is a necessity.

3. Gender Sensitivity Training:

Prison staff, especially male staff, must receive ongoing training to consistently promote menstrual health, gender equality, and conditions for female prisoners that considers their dilemma.

4. Budgets and Policies:

Every prison must include menstrual hygiene in their budgets. Careful monitoring of the procurement, distribution, and use of periodic sanitary products must be established.

5. Independent Oversight.

Human rights commissions, women's organizations, and NGOs must be able to conduct audits of prisons regularly and report to the respective ministries so provincial governments can track their accountability.

VOICES

A step toward menstrual hygiene should come into effect and the only possible way it can be achieved is through change, not silent change; it is voices. Voices from organizations like Pad Squad, Project Baala, and local women's groups seeking to create menstrual dignity even in the most ignored nooks and crannies in society. Their work to distribute reusable pads, hold awareness sessions, and engage with prison officials are all important steps forward. In addition, some of the stories from ex-varsity inmates, most who publicly support they were denied pads while on menstruation, are also a direct call to action. Legal activism through Public Interest Litigations (PILs) and rights-based stuff have undertaken to push the state to acknowledge and respond. But we have a long way to go.

CONCLUSION

Can you envision being on your period in an environment where nobody cares, where you get only a few pads to last for a whole month or sometimes, you get nothing at all, no respect, no clean water, nobody who cares. For most women in prisons, this is not an unusual hardship, it is what they go through every month, every year, throughout their lifetime in prison. 

Menstruation never stops for prisoners, nor should dignity. Providing sanitary napkins, clean bathrooms, and a bit of compassion shouldn't be an extreme concept but rather it should be the least. When we're talking about justice, keep in mind the everyday injustices in locations we rarely visit, because real justice is dignity and no woman wherever she is should never be shamed for something that is so natural, so human. We must make sure to not leave them bleeding in silence. The government should make sure the women in prison are not deprived of their basic human rights and right to dignity. Prisoners are human too and a crime doesn't stop the way nature works.

CLOSING CREDITS

AUTHOR: SHRUTHIKA M

AFFILIATION: SATHYABAMA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY), CHENNAI

"The views expressed are personal. This article is intended for educational purposes and public discourse. Feedback and constructive criticism are welcome!"