New Delhi [India], March 14 : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha raised the issue of menstrual hygiene in Parliament, stating that it is a matter of health, education and equality, which affects over 35 crore women and girls in India.
In a post on X, Chadha said if a girl misses school because there are no sanitary pads, water, and privacy, it is not her personal problem but a collective failure. He added that society has turned a biological fact into a social taboo.
"If a girl misses school because there are no sanitary pads, no water and no privacy, it is not her personal problem. It is our collective failure. We live in a country where alcohol and cigarettes are sold openly, but sanitary pads are still wrapped in newspaper as if they must be hidden. Somewhere along the way, society turned a biological fact into a social taboo. A matter of science has been turned into a matter of silence," Chadha said in the Rajya Sabha.
The AAP MP said that menstrual hygiene is not a charity, favour or a side issue. He added that it is a matter of health, education and equality. "Above all, it is a matter of dignity," he said.
Chadha said he raised this issue in parliament as it affects over 35 crore women and girls in India. He said a nation cannot call itself truly progressive unless every girl in India can go to school, live with dignity and speak about this without any stigma.
"Raised this issue in Parliament today because it affects over 35 crore women and girls in India. A nation cannot call itself truly progressive if millions of girls still face fear, shame and silence for something so basic. The real test of progress is simple. The day every girl in India can go to school, live with dignity and speak about this without stigma, that will be the day we can truly say our society has moved forward," he added.