Adolescent girls aged 14 to 19 years-led charter brings together girls from five NGOs to spotlight menstrual dignity, safety, and access for adolescents living in Mumbai’s informal settlements and across Maharashtra
Pune, 25th November 2025: In a progressive toward advancing menstrual health and adolescent rights, Ujaas—an Aditya Birla Education Trust initiative founded by Advaitesha Birla hosted a Youth Round Table Conference during Child Rights Week, reaffirming the importance of centering girls’ voices in the conversation on menstrual health dignity.
Held at the Aditya Birla World Academy, the conference convened adolescent girls from underserved communities to draft Mumbai’s first-ever Charter of Menstrual Rights by Adolescent girls themselves bringing out lived experiences during periods. Participants brought together by Ujaas represented five grassroots organisations—Vacha, CHIP, PUKAR, OSCAR Foundation, and CORO—all part of EMpower’s Learning Community cohort.
The girls opened the discussion by sharing their first-period experiences—stories of fear, stigma, misinformation, and societal restrictions. Their reflections highlighted the urgent need for community awareness, safe infrastructure, and supportive environments that enable adolescent girls to manage menstruation with dignity. The session was moderated by Lochana Adivarekar, founder of the Ubuntu Movement, which uses theatre and movement to teach gender and sexuality to adolescents.
Together, the girls drafted the Charter of Menstrual Rights, calling for:
- Free or affordable menstrual products in schools and communities.
- Clean, safe, well-lit, gender-sensitive toilets with pad-vending and disposal machines.
- Comprehensive menstrual and reproductive health education from Grade 5 for both boys and girls.
- Efforts to end stigma, teasing, and restrictive practices around menstruation.
- Adolescent-friendly healthcare services, including access to a gynaecologist under the Aaple Dawakhana scheme.
- Monthly ration support for girls to address anaemia and promote comfortable, healthy periods.
- Period-friendly spaces in schools, colleges, and communities that provide rest areas, access to pads, hot water bags, and facilities to support comfortable menstrual
- Access to safe playgrounds for girls to stay active and support healthy menstrual cycles.
- Inclusion of men and boys as allies through awareness and orientation sessions.
- Engagement of mothers and families to enable supportive homes for menstruating adolescents.
The Charter is reinforced by findings from a recent Ujaas survey conducted with 3,000 adolescent girls across government and local schools in rural Maharashtra. The survey validates the demands raised at the Round Table and highlights critical gaps in menstrual health access and awareness.
Key insights from the survey included:
- Availability of menstrual products – 22% of girls identified this as their most urgent need.
- Safe and clean toilets – 19% cited lack of proper sanitation as a major barrier within schools and their localities
- Awareness and education – 19% sought earlier and accurate menstrual and reproductive health information.
- Period-friendly spaces – 15% expressed the need for designated comfort spaces to manage menstruation especially that could have a hot water bag, heating mat and basic medications to manage period pains and discomfort safely
- Accessible disposal options – 13% reported inadequate or unsafe disposal facilities.
- Involving men and boys – 7% emphasised the need to sensitise peers to reduce stigma and teasing.
These insights highlight the systemic, infrastructural, and socio-cultural challenges that adolescent girls continue to face, while validating the collective priorities outlined in the Charter.
Together the Charter reflects a strong collective demand for menstrual dignity, safety, and agency. Organisations participating in the event also contributed additional suggestions, strengthening the shared vision. Ujaas will document and circulate the Charter among like-minded organisations to support program design and collective advocacy for a period-friendly society backed by responsive infrastructure.
Speaking about the initiative, Ms. Poonam Patkar, Head of Ujaas, said: “This roundtable brought forward the courage and clarity of adolescent girls who live with the daily realities of limited access, stigma, and unsafe sanitation. Their voices are powerful, their demands are legitimate, and their leadership is essential. The Charter they have created is not just a document; it is a call for action, dignity, and equity. At Ujaas, we are committed to amplifying these voices and ensuring that menstrual health becomes a right, not a privilege.”
The Roundtable reinforced Ujaas’ commitment to placing adolescent voices at the centre of menstrual health conversations and creating platforms where young girls can lead the change they wish to see.
About Ujaas
Ujaas, a transformative initiative under the stewardship of the Aditya Birla Education Trust, is committed to fostering positive change and empowerment in the space of menstrual health and hygiene management. With an unwavering focus on driving awareness, breaking stereotypes and myths and contributing to social development in the space of menstrual health and hygiene, Ujaas epitomizes the Aditya Birla Education Trust ethos of contributing meaningfully to society.
Driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence, Ujaas leverages the values, resources, and expertise of the Aditya Birla Education Trust to create a lasting impact. By implementing awareness workshops and distribution of free pads, Ujaas serves as a beacon of progress and inclusivity.
Guided by the visionary principles of the Aditya Birla Education Trust, Ujaas embodies the belief that sustainable change begins at the grassroots level. Through collaborative efforts, strategic partnerships, and a deep-rooted commitment to uplift communities, Ujaas aspires to make a significant difference in the lives of underprivileged girls and society at large.
