Urban women's access to water and hygiene kits during menstruation in Dhaka city

Girls reach their menarche at the age of 11.9 years on average and around 60% of them lack knowledge of menstruation before they reach menarche. Despite being one of the major health concerns, discussion on menstrual hygiene is still regarded as taboo in many rural and urban communities of Bangladesh. The study is mainly based on primary data. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data. Also, secondary resources were reviewed for support. More than 98 percent of respondents were positive that they have physical access to continuous water supply around their residence with a very low flow of water in the slum areas. More than 57.5 percent of respondents get only 10-20 liter water for bathing and cleaning purposes during menstruation days which is very low. Women in slum areas spent more than 200-500 BDT monthly to get water. There is a disparity between getting access to water between respondents from two study areas. From respondents of slum areas, more than 17 percent of respondents face a shortage of water to use for cleaning purposes. More than 16.7 percent of respondents replied that they don’t get enough menstrual and hygiene kits from their family when they asked for it. Only 14.2 percent of respondents ever received any menstruation products for free for once or twice. More than 51 percent of respondents perceive it is very expensive to purchase menstruation products. The study concluded that practices and management of menstrual hygiene are not up to the mark yet in urban areas of Bangladesh. Women and girls still lack behind in terms of knowledge and information about menstrual hygiene. There is a need for special care to support women and girls for the betterment of their healt