International Women’s Day 2026: Menstrual Justice Is a Human Right

At My Flow Foundation-Ke, we believe that dignity is not seasonal.
It is daily.

As the world marks International Women’s Day, the global call to Inspire Inclusion challenges us to ask difficult questions about who is still excluded from opportunity, participation, and justice.

For us, one truth remains clear; Menstrual justice is a human right.

Across many communities, menstruation is treated as a personal challenge, a hygiene issue, or a health topic. Yet for millions of girls and women, menstruation determines whether they attend school, participate in work, move freely in public spaces, or live with dignity

Menstrual justice reminds us that the problem is not menstruation itself, but the social conditions that turn it into a disadvantage. When women and girls cannot manage menstruation safely, comfortably, and without shame, their rights are restricted. Menstrual justice therefore is not charity but a human rights obligation.

At My Flow Foundation-Ke, this is not theory.
It is lived reality in informal settlements, rural schools, and underserved communities across Kenya.

Menstrual justice is rooted in the understanding that menstruation intersects with health, education, gender equality, and economic participation. It recognizes that access to menstrual products, water, sanitation, information, and social acceptance must be guaranteed for all people who menstruate. Inequality around menstruation is not accidental, it is produced by policy gaps, stigma, and structural neglect.

The United Nations consistently affirms that gender equality cannot be achieved while structural barriers remain. Human rights principles already support this argument.

1. The right to health includes maintaining body hygiene and preventing infection. The right to education requires environments where learners can participate without avoidable barriers.
2. The right to dignity ensures no one is humiliated or excluded because of a natural bodily function.

When menstrual needs are ignored, these rights are affected at the same time, impacting not only physical comfort but also psychological safety and social belonging.

This is why we frame our work as justice, not charity.

Period poverty shows the gap between these rights and lived reality.
It refers to;

1. the lack of access to affordable menstrual products,
2. lack of adequate sanitation facilities,
3. lack of accurate information, and supportive social environments.

It is not only about money. It is also about infrastructure, education systems, cultural beliefs, and policy priorities.

A person may own a sanitary pad but still face period poverty if there is no private toilet, water for washing, or freedom from stigma.

In many communities, girls report missing school during menstruation because they fear leakage, teasing, or lack of safe spaces to change. Missing several days every month accumulates into learning gaps, lower academic confidence, and increased risk of dropping out.

Education is a recognized human right, yet period poverty limits equal participation in it.
When we distribute dignity packs, mentor girls, and engage boys in menstrual conversations, we are not simply handing out products.

1. We are removing a barrier to equality
2. We are advancing the spirit of International Women’s Day
3. We are aligning with the UN’s call for gender equality that is practical, inclusive, and rights-based.

Inclusion means nothing if a girl cannot sit in class on day two of her cycle.