As the world marks International Women’s Day, a new call to action resonates from the delta heartlands of Bangladesh to the global stage: #GiveToGain. This year, the global community also rallies under the powerful banner of “Rights, Justice, Action for all women and girls.” It is a dual mandate that demands collectively challenging and dismantling systemic barriers -- discriminatory laws, harmful social norms, and crumbling infrastructure -- that prevent equal justice.
The philosophy of #GiveToGain is deceptively simple but structurally radical. To build an equal world, we must first “give up” the barriers that hold us back -- the silence, the stigma, and the outdated infrastructure -- to “gain” a future where dignity is a shared achievement for every woman and girl.
A violation of rights
For a young girl in a coastal village or an urban slum in Dhaka, menstruation is often managed in the shadows, far from the reach of justice or institutional support. Data from the BBS and Unicef’s MICS reveal that approximately 30% of schoolgirls in Bangladesh miss an average of 2.5 days of school per cycle.
This is not merely a health issue but a theft of potential and a violation of the right to education. These girls are trapped in a cycle of "practice gaps" -- forced to use unhygienic methods like old cloths and drying them in damp, hidden corners to avoid "shame." The lack of private spaces is a direct result of a “rights gap” in our urban and rural planning.
Climate change: The multiplier of injustice
Climate change intensifies this vulnerability, turning a biological process into a struggle for survival. As rising sea levels and extreme weather destroy freshwater sources, the "triple burden" on women grows heavier. According to the WHO/Unicef Joint Monitoring Program (JMP), women and girls are 10 times more likely than men to be responsible for fetching water, yet they are the last to have their own sanitation needs met.
In disaster shelters or flood-prone communities, the absence of private, clean toilets equipped with soap and disposal bins is akin to a violation of basic human rights and a failure of climate justice. We must acknowledge that climate-induced water scarcity is a gendered crisis.
Intersectional barriers
The call for "justice for all" must include those at the furthest margins. Women with disabilities face "double discrimination," where a lack of accessible, disability-friendly WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) facilities compounds their physical limitations. Research published in Health Science Reports (2024) indicates that women with moderate to severe disabilities in Bangladesh have 33%-47% lower odds of using appropriate menstrual materials and are 34%-44% less likely to have a private place to change at home.
The mandate for action
The foundation for change is already etched into our laws. The Bangladesh Constitution’s guarantees of equality (Article 27) and non-discrimination (Article 28) explicitly obligate duty-bearers to uphold menstrual justice. Internationally, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which Bangladesh has ratified, requires states to ensure women have adequate living conditions, particularly in sanitation.
To achieve "rights, justice, action," we must move beyond these paper promises. The present government has signalled its commitment, but the implementation must be relentless. We must dismantle the harmful norms that treat menstruation as "impure" and replace them with a framework of rights.
The #GiveToGain theme for 2026, paired with the drive for rights and justice, provides a clear roadmap.
- Give up silence to gain voice: We must move menstrual hygiene management (MHM) from a "women's issue" to a collective social responsibility. Justice cannot be achieved in a culture of silence.
- Give up misinformation to gain knowledge: We must replace myths with science-based education. The National MHM Strategy 2021 serves as our guide to replacing stigma with facts.
- Give up fragile infrastructure to gain climate resilience: We must advocate for "female-friendly" toilets in schools and disaster shelters -- spaces that are lockable, private, and equipped with disposal bins.
Tangible progress and the path forward
Civil society organisations (CSOs) and government agencies have already initiated significant steps. The National MHM Strategy 2021 was a landmark achievement. WaterAid Bangladesh, WHO, and Unicef have been instrumental in piloting climate-resilient WASH technologies and behaviour-change communication (BCC) strategies. To sustain and expand these efforts, dedicated funding and resource allocation for menstrual justice within climate budgets are essential to ensure these initiatives are scalable and impactful.
However, the path forward requires us to ensure that all climate-resilient infrastructure explicitly incorporates menstrual justice. This includes policies that mandate integrating gender-sensitive, disability-inclusive sanitation facilities into climate adaptation plans and disaster response frameworks.
This International Women’s Day, let us remember that "health starts with hygiene," but equality starts with justice. Menstrual justice is the bridge to gender equality. It is the mechanism through which we dismantle the systematic barriers that have held women back for generations.
The time for passive observation has passed. Every school that builds a female-friendly toilet, every father who openly discusses health with his daughter, and every policy-maker who prioritizes climate-resilient WASH is contributing to a collective effort.
To build a resilient, equal Bangladesh, we must unite our resources, our political will, and our empathy. Let us foster a collective sense of purpose and hope, ensuring that no woman or girl is left behind as the world changes.
Fayazuddin Ahmad is an advocate and development professional.