UP teachers demand period leave: The abysmal condition of toilets in government schools has compelled an association of women teachers in UP to launch a campaign. It aims at seeking three-day period leave.
The campaign is led by women teachers of Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Department. Some members of the Uttar Pradesh Mahila Shikshak Sangh have also backed them and now they are reaching out to public representatives. They have initiated various social media campaigns also, as per a report by Indian Express.
According to the association president Sulochana Maurya, the toilets in schools are very dirty as no cleaning takes place there. Besides that, they have to share it with 200 - 400 students. This compels them to skip drinking water. Consequently, many of them suffer from urinary infections. The situation exacerbates during their period days because they have to travel long distances to reach schools.
Once their demands are met, they will draw the attention of the authorities towards other conundrums like security of women teachers which often gets compromised while reaching schools in rural areas.
Last year, online restaurant guide and food ordering platform Zomato announced 10 days of ‘period leave’ annually for all menstruating employees in the organisation. This leave which extends to cisgender women, non-binary individuals and transmasculine men will enable them to avail 10 days of leave annually to deal with cramps and other menstruation-related discomforts. According to the company, these employees can take one-period leave for each menstrual cycle. Read More
One of the largest media companies in Kerala, Mathrubhumi, was also in news for offering first day of period leave to its women employees. Read more about it here.
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