The 28th May marks Menstrual Hygiene Day 2023, and an opportunity to raise awareness of menstrual hygiene rights worldwide. Although Menstrual Hygiene Day is just one day of the year, at Citron Hygiene, we continuously raise awareness of issues relating to menstruation and period dignity. Today, we are giving you a closer look into how we are supporting this cause, and how you can join us in breaking the stigma around menstruation.
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What is Menstrual Hygiene?
Menstrual hygiene is the broad term used relating to hygiene for women and girls during menstruation, or their ‘period.’ Good hygiene during menstruation is essential for the wellbeing and health of menstruators worldwide, ensuring women are healthy, safe, and comfortable during their period. With more than 1.8 billion people across the world menstruating unavoidably each month, it’s crucial that menstrual needs are accommodated for, just as important as it is for us all to have access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Ultimately, menstrual hygiene is a basic human right that many girls don’t have access to.
What is Menstrual Hygiene Day?
Menstrual Hygiene Day takes place on the 28th May every year and aims to raise awareness about the importance of good menstrual hygiene management (MHM). The 28th May was chosen to reflect the average length of a menstrual cycle, 28 days, and the fact that people menstruate on average 5 days each cycle.
Since it was first celebrated in 2014, MH Day has grown significantly, and in 2022, the campaign collectively reached more than 687 million people worldwide.
In 2023, the theme for this year’s Menstrual Hygiene Day is ‘Making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030.’ Take a look at what we are doing to support this campaign and help build a world where no one is held back by their period.
How Citron Hygiene is Supporting Menstrual Hygiene Day
Share Your Period Drama
Earlier this year, we kickstarted our Period Dramas campaign with a view to breaking the stigma of period embarrassment. We’re encouraging others to speak up about a time when their period arrived unexpectedly, drama ensued, and they would have benefited from access to sanitary pads and tampons.
All women have them, but many employers are unaware of just how many uncomfortable period dramas take place within their establishment. We hope for this campaign to raise awareness and encourage commercial environments to consider offering free period products – a huge milestone in helping to tackle period poverty in the UK.
Read the latest stories from women who have bravely opened up about a time when they experienced an uncomfortable period drama.
Have a period story of your own you’d like to share? In support of Menstrual Hygiene Day, we want to make sure 3 winners feel extra taken care of. So, for every submission, you will be automatically entered into our competition to win one of three fantastic prizes including Happy Place Festival tickets and relaxing wellness hampers.
Enter using our form, or tag us on social using #ShareYourPeriodDrama. The competition closes on Menstrual Hygiene Day (28th May) so enter while you still can!
Wash United Sponsorship
We are proud to sponsor the founders of Menstrual Hygiene Day, WASH United, who advocate and educate for menstrual equity, access to period products, and human rights.
Aunt Flow Donation Programme
We are thrilled to announce that we are launching the Aunt Flow donation programme in the UK. For every 10 period products purchased, 1 is donated to menstruators in need. Our signature donation partner is Youths Sports Trust, who will disseminate Aunt Flow period products through their Girls Active programmes in schools across the UK.
Heysham Office Party
To mark Menstrual Hygiene Day, we will be celebrating at our Heysham office with a party, offering a great opportunity for us to gather together to raise awareness and tackle period stigma in the workplace.
3 Ways Your Business Can Help
How can your business support Menstrual Hygiene Day? Here are 3 easy ways you can help to break the stigma, as an employer.
1. Provide Touch-Free Disposal Solutions
To create a period friendly washroom, it’s imperative that menstruators have somewhere to dispose of sanitary waste safely and effectively. We offer a wide range of sanitary disposal bins, ranging from touch-free units to aesthetic systems that compliment your washroom and support your brand reputation.
2. Provide Free Sanitary Products
Join the growing movement to support period dignity by offering organic, sustainable, free-vend menstrual products within your business. The Aunt Flow period product dispenser is the most efficient solution for helping your customers, visitors and employees in an emergency by providing free tampons and pads. Not only does this help your business increase footfall and positive reviews, but it also helps to tackle menstruation stress.
3. Break the Stigma and Speak Out
Menstrual Hygiene Day helps to break the silence and raise awareness of the challenges of menstruation. It highlights the lack of period-friendly facilities in away-from-home washrooms, encouraging more businesses to adapt to the needs of menstruators. This helps to tackle period stigma, address inequities, and change the system.
Let’s Work Together and Raise Awareness this Menstrual Hygiene Day
Globally, there’s a long way to go before we achieve sufficient levels of menstrual hygiene management, but together, we can play our part in tackling this issue and help to enable women and girls to reach their full potential.
Watch our video here of Citron Hygiene discussing period dignity with GirlUpUK
Get in touch today to learn more about our sanitary bins, free-vend dispensers, and hygiene solutions, to ensure menstruators can manage their periods in a hygienic way, in privacy and with dignity.
