MUMBAI: To break the menstruation taboo and to address the existing awkwardness around menstruation, Roca, a global front-runner in the bathroom space along with it’s CSR wing, We Are Water Foundation India has launched an integrated campaign on World Menstrual Hygiene Day. The brand kicked-off a holistic campaign comprising of various initiatives- a powerful digital campaign for mass awareness, installation of unique pad library for female employees and installation of sanitary pad vending machines across nine schools in rural India for free access to sanitary pads.
A powerful digital video campaign #FlushTheAwkwardness urges the viewers to break the silence about menstruation and encourage conversations to normalize it. The vox-pop format video captures various awkward experiences faced by real life women in different situations during their menstruation cycle. The campaign aims to remove the social stigma around menstruation amongst males and initiate a behavior change by urging them to kill their silence, question the indifference, remove judgement, end the insensitivity, stop shaming, deal with the unease, wipe off the smirk and change the ‘it’s a lady’s business’ attitude.
Commenting on the initiative Ms Mayuri Saikia, Marketing Head, Roca Bathroom Products Pvt. Ltd. says, “There are many myths and awkwardness which exist around menstruation even in the 21st century. Roca as a socially responsible brand has always tried to focus on anachronistic issues such as open defecation, unavailability of drinking water, discrimination against househelps, use of cloth during menstrual cycle, etc that are still prevalent in our society.
This Menstrual Hygiene Day, our initiative is to sensitize males and apprise them with the challenges faced by women during their menstruation cycle and lending normalcy to it. Being reminded that a woman is menstruating affects the perception of her competence and likeability. Along with sensitization, Roca has also initiated the concept of keeping a Pad library at workplace and urges other corporates to do the same. Roca along with We are Water Foundation India has also installed sanitary pad vending machines across various schools in the country. We hope that this will be followed by other corporates and industry at large.”
The company has also taken steps to comfort their female employees in the office by setting up first of its kind ‘Pad Library’. Based on self-sustaining mechanism, the company has installed small containers inside female washrooms that will have a set number of sanitary pads during installation and will be regularly filled and maintained by the women themselves in a ‘take one and return one’ practice. The brand urges corporates to support their female employees by installing ‘Pad Library’ and help reduce avoidable stress during periods.
Additionally, as a part of We Are Water Foundation’s project ‘Better Sanitation & Health for Girls’, the foundation has set up sanitary pad vending machines across nine schools in Bhiwadi, Alwar, Vellore and Chennai to help girls adopt hygienic practices and access free pads to live a healthy life. This is to ensure behavioral shift and promote adoption/usage of sanitary pads to improve the menstrual hygiene condition of school girls in rural India. As part of this initiative, almost 60 women were trained and work under various self-help groups in different communities for manufacturing and selling the products.
