The caring period: Kerala government’s proposal for menstrual leave for schoolchildren opens door to a healthy debate

Key points

• Anamika* was in Class IX in a city school in Kochi when she was caught off guard in the school assembly.
• An excruciating abdominal pain left her speechless for minutes.
• The girl, who was on her period, sat there, enduring the crushing pain in an effort to avoid disrupting the assembly or drawing attention to herself.
• The menstrual cycles have always been an agonising period in the life of this schoolgirl.
• She used to get muscle cramps, besides the wrenching pain, that often left her paralysed.