Dhaka: A new icddr,b research reveals that over 40% of girls skip school three days on an average each month during their menstruation because of poor toilet facilities in the country.

It also found that menstrual hygiene is a serious challenge for girls in Bangladesh due to a lack of understanding and general education about the issue.

Researchers from icddr,b’s Centre for Communicable Diseases in association with the Policy Support Unit of the Local Government Division conducted the study with support from WaterAid Bangladesh.

The survey had found that up to 45% of school toilets are currently locked, which accelerates unhygienic problems during their menstruation, according to an icddr,b web post.  

Acknowledging and endorsing good menstrual hygiene practices for girls, the government has already released an official statement recommending improved school toilets.  

The statement specifies, among other things, that educational officials, school committees and teachers work to create separate toilet facilities for female students, improve all school toilets to include soap, water and a waste-bin and appoint teachers to educate girls about menstruation.

Mahbub Ul Alam, a research investigator at icddr,b, said the government’s commitment and recommendations are significant because it signals a shift in the perception of menstrual hygiene.  

‘Menstruation remains very taboo in Bangladesh, but the language used by the Government here is the first step towards acceptance,’ he added.

Even in resource-poor and conservative settings, the statement, which has been distributed to all district and sub-district level education officers, could prompt teachers to open currently unused toilets in order to provide separate facilities for girls.  

‘Most menstrual hygiene management issues are also related to perception, such as girls not wanting to dry their menstrual clothes in the open, or clean and store them properly because they think it is shameful. There is also a clear relationship between school absences, lack of facilities and perception’ said Alam.

He said by increasing knowledge and acceptance of menstruation, it will be easy to address the school attendance problem.

The survey was led by Dr Leanne Unicomb, former head of icddr,b’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Research group, and Dr Steve Luby, a professor of medicine and director of research, Stanford University, who is a former director of icddr,b’s Centre for Communicable Diseases.