International Women’s Day:
A Moment for Accountability

Written by Tonique Morrison

International Women’s Day is often a moment of celebration. This year, it should also be a moment of accountability.

• How many countries have national standards for menstrual health in schools?
• How many have integrated it into education and health budgets?
• How many ensure accessible sanitation for persons with disabilities?
• How many measure whether menstrual dignity is actually delivered?
• If these questions cannot be answered with policy commitments and budget lines, progress stays incomplete.

Dignity cannot depend on temporary projects. It requires functioning systems.

For years, menstrual health has been addressed through pilots, donations, and awareness campaigns. While these efforts have improved lives, they have rarely transformed systems.

The consequences remain visible:

• Girls missing school due to inadequate facilities
• Women navigating workplaces without privacy or sanitation
• Persons with disabilities facing compounded barriers
• Improper waste management creating environmental strain

These are not cultural inconveniences. They are governance failures.

Recognising menstrual health as a right shifts responsibility from individuals to institutions to education systems, health services, sanitation infrastructure, and public finance mechanisms. But legal language alone does not deliver dignity. Systems do.

A Test of Global Leadership

Development partners such as the EU and Denmark have long championed rights-based, inclusive, and sustainable public services. 

Menstrual health aligns directly with these priorities. Sustainable menstrual products and circular waste solutions offer a pathway to combine dignity, environmental responsibility, and long-term cost-effectiveness. 

Convincing evidence links menstrual support to improved educational outcomes, workforce participation, and public health indicators. 

This is not a marginal issue. It is a strategic one. 
India has shown that legal recognition is possible. 
The next step globally is implementation.