World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2022: History, Significance and Theme

Every year on May 27, the world celebrates Menstrual Hygiene Day to raise awareness about menstruation, equip girls with safe and sanitary practices, and eliminate taboos and stigma. Even in the twenty-first century, many women and young girls lack basic menstrual hygiene information and infrastructure, such as sanitary napkins, clean restrooms, and even safe disposal. According to UNFPA, May 28 is the start of the female menstrual cycle. Because a reproductive cycle lasts 28 days, the number 28 was chosen as the day to commemorate it. In the same manner, an average period is five days long, hence May is chosen as the fifth day of the month.

History

WASH United, a German non-profit, founded MH Day in 2013. WASH United serves as the worldwide coordinator and international secretariat for MH Day. They launched a 28-day Twitter campaign dubbed “May #MENSTRAVAGANZA” to raise awareness about menstruation and MHM as crucial factors in WASH development activities.

People all across the world are commemorating World Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28th, 2014, by doing public rallies, campaigns, and seminars. The theme for World Menstrual Hygiene Day this year is “making menstruation a normal part of life by 2030.”