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Prominent women leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) criticised the UDF government’s proposal to grant up to three days of menstrual leave a month for schoolgirls.
The idea was mooted by the state government during the Governor’s policy address in the Kerala assembly last week.
BJP councillor and ex-DGP R Sreelekha, in a social media post on Saturday, raised concerns about whether the proposal, aimed at helping the schoolgirls, would end up invading their privacy.
“If girls stay away from classes every month, family members, schools and others may come to know when a particular child is menstruating. Is this menstrual dignity?” she asked in a Facebook post.
The Sasthamangalam councillor said she never skipped classes or even physically demanding parades of the police force due to menstruation.
The ex-DGP, instead of menstrual leave, recommended providing clean toilets for girls in schools, sanitary napkin vending machines and access to pain-relieving medication.
Senior IUML leader Noorbina Rasheed also said that the privacy of girls should not be affected in the name of menstrual leave.
“When girls avail such menstrual leaves, it could land them in mental despair. Therefore, officials must see to it that privacy of the girls is not affected through such policies,” she said.
General education minister N Shamsudheen said that the leave is optional in nature and is designed to help girls during such physically demanding times. “The government will consider all opinions before implementing the policy,” he said.
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