Being Human

The Sanitary Napkin Campaign Launched in Our Society Was Such an Eye-Opener For Me

Try initiating this campaign in your community as well

I have never in my life given a thought about the sweepers. I have never thought of the disgusting conditions they work in, and the peanuts they are paid for it.

I had heard about the roadside sweepers, that apart from the regular garbage, they sometimes have to sweep away rotten carcasses of animals who died in a car accident or something.

Imagine, they show up at work in the early hours of the morning and the first thing they see is a badly battered body of an unrecognizable animal with its internal organs hanging outside and bloodshot eyes gorged out.

You and I would not even give it a second glance and distance ourselves from it, from the sight, and the unbearable smell of it. But they don’t have that option. They have to pick up the remains and manage the mess.

My teacher had once witnessed cleaners at train stations picking up human feces with their bare hands because they were not provided gloves and other necessary tools by the government.

How on earth can we ever expect these workers to be warm-hearted people?

I am sure each time, they dig their hands in such dirt, something dies in them. And thanks to them being in the lowest pyramid of the societal structure, their hatred towards high-class people gives rise to heinous crimes.

Can you blame them?

A Campaign Changed Everything

A message was recently circulated in our society’s Whatsapp group about a special campaign run by a local civic body.

‘The Red Dot campaign’ was focused on the correct way of disposing of sanitary napkins, diapers, and other medical human wastes in the right manner.

The whole reason that this campaign began in the first place was the devastating impact of sanitation workers discovering the used sanitary pads and diapers while separating the wet waste from the dry.

Many workers reported to have felt depressed and many of them even cried while engaging in the process. Not to exclude the fact, that they are at a huge risk of contracting serious illnesses from such exposure on a regular basis.

This information alone was enough to change my approach towards the cleaner’s community.

I never for once thought about their reaction when they must be opening the newspaper and discovering a used diaper, condom, or sanitary pad in them.

I loathe the sheer imagination of it. And these people deal with it every day.

The Suggested Change

As per the campaign, instead of wrapping pads, diapers, etc. in a newspaper, they should be wrapped in a paper bag and should carry a sign of a big red circle which can be made with a permanent red marker.

The workers will be likewise trained that packets marked in the red circle should not be opened for further segregation as they contain human waste — medical or otherwise.

This small initiative saves them from a huge trauma and makes their lives safer and easier.

A Small Request

This campaign had started in Pune city in India and it is slowly gaining the traction it deserves.

This campaign is a huge step towards humanity.

Imagine how your minute contribution can go miles to save the life of a sanitation worker. They separate such wastes in huge quantities with their bare hands and are often diagnosed with life-threatening infections or other diseases, due to the constant exposure.

It is good to know that people are becoming aware of the situation and are disposing of the napkins with sincerity but still, there’s a long way to go.

If this kind of campaign is not present in your community, you can propose it to the local government officer or any civic body leader who can bring up the topic on your behalf. You can be a catalyst for a positive change.

‘’No human deserves to go through hell because we’re incapable of managing the mess we create.’’

— Bhavna Narula

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