By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:Marking Global Menstrual Hygiene Day 2026, the Odisha Menstrual Health & Hygiene Alliance (OMHH Alliance), led by Aaina, organized a state-level multi-stakeholder dialogue in Bhubaneswar on the theme “Rising Together: Transforming Menstrual Health as a Fundamental Right.” The event brought together representatives from government, academia, civil society, law, development partners, and youth platforms to strengthen collective action for advancing menstrual health as a rights and dignity issue.
The programme began with a welcome address and reflection by Sneha Mishra, Secretary, Aaina and Convener, OMHH Alliance, who highlighted the urgent need to move beyond fragmented interventions and recognize menstrual health as central to dignity, equality and access to essential services.
Delivering the opening address, Prof. (Dr.) Saumya Uma, Jindal Global Law School, reflected on menstrual health from a rights-based perspective and emphasized the importance of legal recognition, accountability, and institutional responsibility in ensuring menstrual dignity for all.
In his remarks, Prof. Shreepad Karmalkar, Director, IIT Bhubaneswar, underscored the role of innovation, systems thinking, and cross-sector collaboration in creating inclusive and sustainable menstrual health solutions.
On the occasion, Prasanta Kumar Dash, Chief Field Office, UNICEF Odisha, said, “While conversations around menstrual health are slowly changing, many young people still experience silence, hesitation, and stigma in their everyday lives. Creating schools, institutions, workplaces and communities that are friendly to the period requires more than infrastructure and services. It requires empathy, openness and collective responsibility.
Addressing the gathering as Guest of Honour, Babita Patra, Chairperson, Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR), stressed the importance of menstrual health in safeguarding the rights, wellbeing, and dignity of children and adolescents.
Shyni S., IPS, Additional Director General of Police, Government of Odisha, spoke on the importance of safe, enabling, and stigma-free environments for menstruators, and highlighted the role of institutions and communities in ensuring inclusion and dignity.
The event also highlighted ongoing efforts under the OMHH Alliance and the Period-Friendly City campaign, including evidence sharing, dialogue on systems strengthening, and renewed commitment towards ensuring menstrual health as a fundamental right.
Guests and participants took a pledge to champion menstrual rights, dignity, equity for all while challenging stigma, breaking silence, and helping to create safe inclusive period-positive spaces in the community.
The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks by Ms. Shipra Saxena, WASH-CCES Specialist, UNICEF, who appreciated the contributions of all dignitaries, alliance members, and stakeholders and called for continued collective action to build a more inclusive and period-friendly society.
There were a number of panel discussions throughout the day where youngsters spoke about “Genz and Menstrual Rights” and also had discussions emphasizing on “Menstrual Health as a Fundamental Right”. Apart from that there were educationists, practitioners and policymakers who further emphasized on collective responsibilities to create period-friendly infrastructures and services that help transform the menstruation rights as fundamental rights.
Observed under the global Menstrual Hygiene Day theme, the event reinforced the urgent need to move beyond awareness and toward systemic transformation- ensuring access to menstrual health information, products, safe infrastructure and dignity for all by the members of OMHH Alliance- Aaina, UNICEF, Government of Odisha, IIT Bhubaneswar, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Water Aid, AL2050, PSI, NAWO, PCI, Odisha Live, Swasthyaplus, IFI, Saukhyam, VIEWS, PJS, Aatmashakti trust.
