The Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) has urged all stakeholders to prioritize the inclusion of people with disabilities, particularly the deaf, in Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) information dissemination. Mr. Juventus Dourinaah, Executive Director of GNAD, noted that despite efforts to create a period-friendly environment for women and adolescents, research had consistently shown that women and children continued to face significant challenges in managing their menstrual cycles.
“While adolescent girls with disabilities have the same MHM needs as their counterparts without disabilities, adolescent girls with disabilities face twice the challenges girls without disabilities face,” he said. Mr. Dourinaah said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in a message to mark the World Menstrual Day celebration on the theme: “Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld” The 2024 theme, according to Mr.
Dourinaah, highlighted the global efforts to address poor Menstrual Hygiene Management challenges that hinder access to a period-friendly environment for women and girls. He said good MHM was crucial for women’s overall well-being and that for adolescent girls, including those who are deaf, “it is essential for improving school attendance and learning outcomes.” However, he said the exclusion of deaf women and girls from MHM programmes, combined with the lack of enabling policies and institutional and social barriers, continued to limit their access to qua.
