International Human Rights Day was observed worldwide on 10 December 2025. In recognition of this occasion, this blog highlights a recently acknowledged human right that directly concerns women and examines how this right is represented and upheld in today’s working world.
In support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality, the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council in 2024 adopted a resolution on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM). The resolution calls on UN member states to respect, protect, and fulfil their obligation to create environments that enable women—who constitute more than half of the global population—to manage their menstruation safely and with dignity. Menstruation is a natural biological process, and the resolution firmly situates MHM within the framework of fundamental human rights. As such, it carries universal responsibilities and expectations for accountability.
This blog aims to explore how human rights are defined through the lens of MHM. The discussion is organised into four sections. The first outlines the framing of MHM as a human right. The second examines how MHM is experienced in everyday social contexts. The third critically analyses the gap between ideals and lived realities, particularly with regard to state obligations. The final section presents concluding reflections.
What is MHM and why does it matter?
Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) is framed as a fundamental human right to ensure universal access to affordable menstrual products and adequate infrastructure, to strengthen economic and social support, and to promote awareness through education. By recognising MHM as a basic human right, the structural factors that contribute to period poverty can be addressed and ultimately eliminated. This framing also positions menstruation as a health issue directly connected to human dignity, rather than a natural bodily process that can be dismissed or neglected simply because it affects women.
Everyday Struggles
Menstruation has become a daily struggle for women not only in the Global South but also in the Global North. In many parts of the Global South, social taboos surrounding women’s bodies often reduce women to objects rather than subjects, leading to harmful practices that isolate them during menstruation and label them as “impure.” In countries such as Nepal, for example, women have traditionally been required to stay in unsafe temporary huts outside the main household during their menstrual cycle. Although this practice has been criminalised by the government, it continues in some remote regions.
These taboos are further compounded by the lack of access to basic, safe, and hygienic menstrual materials. Women and girls living in poverty face especially severe challenges in accessing health-safe products.
Even in the Global North, where isolation practices or stigma around menstruation are far less common, financial barriers remain significant. The cost of menstrual products—exacerbated by the “pink tax” and other economic pressures—creates persistent hardship. Plan International reports that, during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, 3 in 10 girls struggled to afford or access sanitary products, and more than half (54%) resorted to using toilet paper as a substitute.
This everyday reality becomes an even greater nightmare in the context of man-made or natural disasters. For women living in conflict zones such as Sudan, Palestine, Ukraine, Congo, or Myanmar, unsafe and unhygienic menstruation is common due to poor access to menstrual materials and their widespread unavailability. Similarly, in the aftermath of natural disasters—such as floods in Sri Lanka, Texas, Indonesia, and Thailand—period poverty intensifies. The failure to provide safe menstrual materials and infrastructure, combined with the low prioritisation of these needs during emergencies, exacerbates the challenges faced by women and girls.
The Social Reality
Eliminating period poverty and improving access to hygienic menstrual facilities depends heavily on state obligations. Examining annual budget allocations for menstrual health can reveal how effectively these obligations are being implemented. In the UK, for example, health discourse has increasingly recognised menstruation and related pain as serious health matters, with policies aligned to address them.
Raising awareness about menstruation as a natural and inalienable bodily process—not a social taboo—can further educate communities at the grassroots level. Such programs help ensure a safe and supportive environment for women during their menstrual cycles.
Conclusion
In concluding this piece, it is important to highlight that commemorating International Human Rights Day has become a pivotal moment for recognising the everyday struggles of over half the world’s population. Ensuring healthy conditions for menstruation is a fundamental obligation of the state, reinforcing the essential nature of human rights as both respected and fulfilled. By addressing these needs, human rights move beyond abstract ideals to become a practical, everyday necessity—connecting social realities with the principles guiding policy-making.
Dr. Aruni Samarakoon is a recent PhD graduate in Political Science from the University of Hull. Her research expands radical feminist scholarship by examining the revolutionary politics of marginalized ethnic groups, with her PhD focusing on Sri Lankan Tamils as a case study from the Global South.
