The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir took suo moto cognizance when it found that most of the girls are dropping out of schools due to inadequate sanitation facilities.
The improper management of Menstrual hygiene facilities prevents the girls from exercising their Right to Education which is enshrined under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
The bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Sindhu Sharma said that the main reason behind the inability of Adolescence girls in exercising their Right to education is the lack of proper awareness about Menstruation hygiene and the disheartening condition of the management of menstrual hygiene of girls in Educational institutions. Therefore, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir has directed the Government of India and the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh to pay attention to proper management of Menstrual Hygiene facilities.
The bench also said that the inadequate education about the menstruation cycle of a woman to the masses carries a lot of taboos and false rumors attached to it. This misinformation ultimately affects the societal and personal life of a woman.
The prevalence of misconception that women & girls who are going through their menstrual cycle are contaminated and impure results in their expulsion from the societal places including the places of worship, workplace and even in their own home where they have to follow strict rules during that periods. These become the reasons which led the girls to drop out of school for those periods when they are having their menstrual cycle.
