Combating Stereotypes: Students Make G20 India Logo With Sanitary Pads

New Delhi: South Gujarat University students have created the G20India logo using 3000 sanitary pads. The sanitary pads were afterwards distributed to underprivileged women at the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University.

This G20 logo made of sanitary pads reflects a light on the menstrual unawareness spread among the citizens in the country. It also comes at a time when the Supreme Court disposed of a petition on the contentious topic referring it to the executive to formulate rules. Interestingly, on the same day, the Spanish government approved a historic law granting paid medical leave to women suffering from severe menstrual pain which is the first for any European country.

In Asia, menstrual leave is offered by countries including Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea and Zambia. It was introduced in Soviet Russia in 1922 but removed in 1927 after people expressed fear that it would lead to discrimination. South Korea allows female employees to take a day off every month.

In India, Bihar has been offering two days of menstrual leaves a month since 1992. Kerala also offers menstrual leave. Earlier this year, it also became the first state in India to grant menstrual leave to female students at state universities.

Among the private companies, two Mumbai-based companies, Gozoop and Culture Machine, became the first private companies in 2017 to introduce the first day of period (FOP) leave in India. In 2020, Zomato introduced menstrual leaves for up to ten days a year for its women and transgender employees. Since then, other private companies like Swiggy and Byju’s have also introduced similar policies.

Chingari, a growing on-chain social app, is the latest to announce two days of paid menstruation leave per month for its female employees. As per the company, the move of offering a 2 day of paid leave per month is intended to recognize the difficulties that women face during menstruation and to empower them to prioritize their health.