Menstrual Health Management Challenges in Protracted Displacement Contexts : A qualitative study from the perspective of humanitarians

Abstract: Menstrual health is a crucial yet often ignored need during emergencies and humanitarian interventions. The present thesis aims at understanding the perception of humanitarian workers of menstrual health management and the related challenges during displacement, and the best ways how to address them. The present study is qualitative: the author conducted semi-structured interviews with humanitarian workers and examined the results with thematic analysis. The results were interpreted with the theory of needs and the theorization of the menstrual health management components. The results show that menstrual health management is an interconnected need involving several actors, especially during displacement, and it has a strong health component. The stigmatisation of period heavily influences the way how humanitarians can respond to people’s menstrual needs, also because humanitarians are not always trained on the topic. Menstrual health management is often disregarded as a need during humanitarian emergencies. Menstrual needs can be classified following the hierarchization  of  needs approach,  but  more flexibility is required in order to improve humanitarian response to such a neglected need. The sector could benefit from more prioritization of menstrual health management, more male and community participation in the interventions, increased people-centred design of facilities, more awareness raising initiatives and improved coordination among clusters and organizations.