Supporting the goals and ideals of Menstrual Hygiene Day.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 406 Supporting the goals and ideals of Menstrual Hygiene Day. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 23, 2019 Ms. MENG (for herself, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Ms. NOR- TON, Mr. ROUDA, Ms. MOORE, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. SCHA- KOWSKY, Ms. TITUS, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. OMAR, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, and Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider- ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of Menstrual Hygiene Day. Whereas, since 2013, Menstrual Hygiene Day is annually commemorated on May 28 to raise awareness and cata- lyze political action around the challenges menstruating women and girls around the world face; Whereas the Joint Monitoring Programme of the World Health Organization and UNICEF defines menstrual hy- giene management as when ‘‘women and adolescent girls are using a clean menstrual management material to ab- sorb or collect menstrual blood, that can be changed in VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:35 May 25, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR406.IH HR406 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 406 IH privacy as often as necessary for the duration of a men- strual period, using soap and water for washing the body as required, and having access to safe and convenient fa- cilities to dispose of used menstrual management mate- rials’’; Whereas 500,000,000 women and girls around the world lack adequate facilities for menstrual health and hygiene man- agement; Whereas cultural stigma and lack of access to menstrual health and hygiene education, sanitation, and infrastruc- ture can limit access to schools, jobs, and religious activi- ties; Whereas, around the world, 1 in 3 girls have access to inad- equate toilets, and many others face social and cultural restrictions when they have their periods; Whereas displaced women and adolescent girls, whether by conflict, climate, or natural disaster, face significant bar- riers to managing monthly menstruation in a safe, pri- vate, and dignified manner; Whereas failing to provide disposal facilities for used sanitary pads or cloths can result in a significant solid waste issue, causing blockage of latrines and pits; Whereas 25,000,000 women in the United States live at or below the poverty line, often without consistent access to menstrual hygiene products; Whereas a survey of low-income women in a large United States city published in January 2019 found that nearly two-thirds couldn’t afford menstrual hygiene products during the previous year; Whereas estimates reveal that a woman may spend over $1,700 in her lifetime on tampons, a figure that is multi- VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:35 May 25, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR406.IH HR406 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 406 IH plied for women who also support children who are men- struating; Whereas incarcerated women have illustrated that their dig- nity has been compromised as they seek to access men- strual hygiene products; and Whereas, in the United States, a school’s failure to provide a supportive environment for menstruating students can have negative consequences: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) recognizes the need to break the silence, 2 raise awareness, and change negative social norms 3 surrounding menstrual hygiene around the world; 4 (2) recognizes the need for increased research 5 on access to menstrual health management both in 6 the United States and around the world; 7 (3) recognizes the barriers that vulnerable pop- 8 ulations face to access menstrual hygiene manage- 9 ment products, including in schools, employment fa- 10 cilities, prisons, homeless shelters, after natural dis- 11 asters, and in refugee camps; 12 (4) encourages the Administrator of the United 13 States Agency for International Development to in- 14 tegrate menstrual hygiene services in settings includ- 15 ing conflict, natural disaster response, refugee and 16 internally displaced persons response, and in devel- 17 opment activities in low-income countries; 18 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:35 May 25, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR406.IH HR406 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 406 IH (5) urges policymakers and decisionmakers to 1 enact laws to comprehensively address the challenges 2 menstruating women and girls face in the United 3 States and around the world; and 4 (6) encourages the people of the United States 5 to observe Menstrual Hygiene Day. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:35 May 25, 2019 Jkt 034408 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR406.IH HR406 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS