On Menstrual Hygiene Day, UNICEF and UNFPA reaffirm that every woman, girl and person who menstruates has the right to manage their menstrual health safely, with dignity, and without stigma or discrimination.

Yet for many across Myanmar, these rights are increasingly out of reach.

We are deeply concerned by lack of access to menstrual hygiene products in parts of the country, especially for girls and women living in conflict-affected areas. 

In humanitarian contexts, menstrual health is deeply connected to protection, sexual and reproductive health, education, and psychosocial well-being. For displaced women and girls, the inability to manage menstruation safely can heighten stress, shame, and vulnerability, especially when access to privacy, clean water, sanitation, and essential health services is limited.Menstrual products are not a luxury. They are essential to health, dignity, and participation in daily life.

Access to accurate information, safe facilities and appropriate menstrual materials is essential for women and girls to participate safely and confidently in school, work and community life.

Denying access to these basic items has serious consequences. Without safe and adequate menstrual materials, girls and women may be forced to use unhygienic alternatives, increasing the risk of infection and discomfort. It can prevent girls from attending school, limit women’s participation in community life, and expose them to heightened protection risks as they seek safe and private ways to manage their periods. 

These challenges are compounded in humanitarian settings, where access to water, sanitation, privacy and health services is already constrained. Ensuring access to menstrual hygiene supplies is a core part of humanitarian response and essential to safeguarding health and dignity. 

At a time when stigma around menstruation remains widespread, lack of access to menstrual hygiene products risks deepening silence, shame and inequality. Menstrual health is fundamentally linked to gender equality, education and the realization of basic human rights.

We call on all parties to the conflict in Myanmar to:

• Ensure that menstrual hygiene products are recognized as essential humanitarian supplies and cease any actions that restrict their movement or distribution 

• Facilitate safe, sustained and equitable access to these items in all areas, including conflict-affected communities

• Support uninterrupted access to information, health services and menstrual hygiene materials for adolescent girls, women and people who menstruate, particularly in crisis-affected and displaced communities

• Avoid actions that further restrict the rights, dignity and well-being of girls and women

We remain committed to working with partners, including women-led organizations and youth networks, to break taboos around menstruation, equip adolescent girls with information and skills, and improve access to menstrual hygiene materials, safe facilities and services.

Every woman and girl deserves to manage her period with dignity, safety and confidence. This must remain a humanitarian and public health priority, even in times of crisis.