Women, children in Kirikiri Custodial Centre get menstrual products, diapers

A non-governmental organitsation, The Inclusion Project (TIP) has donated several cartons of menstrual products to women in Kirikiri custodial Center and diapers for women with children in detention.

In a sensitisation programme on menstrual hygiene management, the group provided expert information on menstrual hygiene management and menstrual rights. Programmes Officer, TIP, Eniola Tikara, said that access to feminine products is a basic right that allows all to live with dignity, and no woman/girl should be allowed to face the health risks associated with improvising menstrual hygiene supplies.

She emphasised that the inaccessibility of free feminine hygiene products in custodial facilities goes beyond basic unhygienic practices but could lead to huge health hazard to women’s sexual and reproductive health.

According to Tikara, being in detention exacerbates these issues for incarcerated women and girls in many detention centers in Nigeria especially since the cost of menstrual products is prohibitive with the current inflation in the country therefore accessing menstrual hygiene products is inconsistent, expensive, inadequate, and often impossible for these vulnerable girls and women.

“TIP, therefore, calls on the Nigerian Government to provide free and sufficient feminine menstrual products for women/girls in rural areas and in detention with proper disposal awareness; Secondly, women in detention should have access to adequate supply of clean water and soap to enable better hygiene practices, and prison infrastructure should be such that it ensures the privacy and dignity of menstruating inmates.

“The Government at all tiers should promote education on menstrual hygiene management by introducing same into the school curriculum in order to entrench desired and proper education of young persons on eradication of all forms of stigmatisation on menstruation.

“They should support the efficient reproductive health of women prisoners, including providing regular prison visits by female doctors and gynecologists to ensure early detection/ cure of any infection or reproductive health issues,” Tikara said.

Tikara added that government owes a duty of care to ensure that women in its care, custody and control have free and accessible necessities to live with dignity, including menstrual products during their period.

She noted that TIP would carry out similar activity in other earmarked correctional centers, adding that they are also raising awareness on menstrual hygiene management among school girls and women in Imo and Kano State.