Menstrual Health Is a Fundamental Right. Are Other Countries Ready to Follow?

Written by Tonique Morrison

As CSW and International Women’s Day Approach, the Time for Symbolism Has Passed
 

As the global community prepares for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in March, alongside International Women’s Day, an urgent question is emerging: if menstrual health is fundamental to dignity and equality, are governments ready to treat it that way?

When India’s Supreme Court recognised menstrual hygiene as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity, it did more than issue a judgment. It set a benchmark. Menstruation was no longer framed as a matter of charity, coping, or isolated welfare schemes. It was recognised as a constitutional responsibility. Governments, not girls, are accountable.

The implications extend far beyond one country.

Why CSW Must Move Menstrual Health to the Main Agenda

CSW is where global gender priorities are shaped. It influences national strategies, donor allocations, and multilateral programming. If menstrual health remains absent from formal frameworks and financing decisions, it sends a clear message: it is still not considered fundamental.

This must change.

Menstrual health intersects directly with: 

 ● Educational attainment
 ● Economic participation
 ● Public health outcomes
 ● Disability inclusion
 ● Climate and environmental sustainability

No country can credibly claim commitment to gender equality while neglecting the infrastructure that enables half the population to take part fully in public life.

At CSW, the shift must be concrete:
 ● Embed menstrual health into national gender equality strategies
 ● Allocate sustained and dedicated financing
 ● Establish infrastructure standards for schools and public institutions
 ● Create monitoring and accountability mechanisms
 ● Invest in environmentally responsible procurement and waste systems

Without these steps, rights-based rhetoric risks becoming symbolic rather than structural.

The Question Is No Longer Whether It Matters

The evidence is clear. The economic case is clear. The intersection with gender equality is clear. What remains unclear is whether governments are prepared to align budgets and systems with the rights they publicly endorse. As CSW convenes and International Women’s Day mobilises global attention, the challenge is straightforward:

If menstrual health is fundamental to dignity, education, and equality in countries will formalise it in law, finance it in budgets, and deliver it in practice?

Or will it remain a side conversation?
The credibility of global gender commitments may well depend on the answer.