“I am bleeding in my trousers, and I feel disgusted”, said Amna, a 12 -year-old living at an IDP camp in Sindh. 

Amna had only been menstruating for 4 months, still confused about why she bleeds every month and learning to adapt to hormonal changes when she was forced out of her home. While Amna’s hometown was being shattered by catastrophic floods and she was relocated to an IDP camp, her period did not stop. On the fourth day in the camp, her monthly cycle began – it had no regard for her status as a flood victim, adding to her already existing miseries. Having no access to menstrual hygiene products, she was left with no choice but to use the unabsorbent cloth pieces her mother gave her to tie around her trouser to manage her menstruation. November marks 3 months of Amna being in the IDP camp, and she continues to menstruate in her trousers every month.

There are more than 1.6 million girls and women like Amna in IDP camps - struggling to manage their menstruation in a healthy, dignified, and secure manner. The lack of access to appropriate menstrual products and WASH (water and sanitation hygiene) facilities bounds women to utilize nighttime to wash their period clothes and answer nature’s call. Therefore, women are more susceptible to infections, snake bites, anima attacks, and harassment. During this climatic crisis, the level of misconduct and mistreatment against the privacy and dignity of women and young girls has exponentially increased, ripping them off their fundamental rights.

The Climate Change Policy of Pakistan does acknowledge that women are more vulnerable to the consequences of climate crises like floods. Regardless, it doesn’t demand sufficient action to guarantee women’s adequate access to reproductive health services and to ensure their safety and menstrual dignity. The Global Climate Risk Index 2021 has ranked Pakistan as the 8th most vulnerable country to climate change which means that the nation can experience more frequent climate crises. If we don’t focus on a gender-equitable and gender-inclusive climate policy and disaster management responses right now, we are endangering the lives of millions of girls and women.

We want the government of Pakistan to prioritize women’s health and safety and ensure their dignity during menstruation by integrating comprehensive, gender-equitable climate crisis response frameworks and taking practical measures such as: 

• Provision of appropriate menstrual products to every menstruating girl and woman in the IDP camps.
• Construction of women-only restrooms with running water in each IDP camp.
• Assuring the presence of female management staff in IDP camps with whom women can openly discuss their reproductive requirements and safety needs.
• Ensuring access to contraception and other reproductive care services to women in IDP camps on a need basis.

Our goal is to get at least 10k signatures to generate enough support and momentum for the campaign and present a policy paper to relevant government institutions including the Ministry of Climate Change, Ministry of National Health Service and Ministry of Human Rights in Pakistan.

Please sign the petition and help us advocate for policy change in Pakistan. 

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This Digital Campaign is initiated by Baithak - Challenging Taboos - a nonprofit organization that has been working for women's access to their sexual and reproductive, health, rights, and justice in Pakistan since 2018. Through #DignityForWomenInFloods campaign, Baithak has been providing menstrual kits to women in flood affected areas, and leading conversations to safeguard their reproductive rights and safety. To learn more about our work, please visit our social media:

Facebook​ | Instagram​ | LinkedIn

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To donate for our fundraiser: 

Account Title: Amna Mehmood

Bank: Soneri Bank

Account Number: 001920005909617

For International Donors:

IBAN: PK49SONE0001920005909617

Zelle and Venmo: Yusra Shaikh, Yusrashaikh2017@gmail.com

For queries, suggestions, and collaborations, please email us at baithak.pak@gmail.com