Move to make girl students ‘record’ their menstrual cycle data shocks people

In a move that has drawn flak as a serious infringement of the privacy of girl students, the Shivamogga district administration has insisted that high schools and pre-university colleges in the district maintain a record of the menstrual cycles of students as “a measure to avoid teenage pregnancies”.

A memo, signed by Deputy Commissioner Gurudatta Hegade and Chief Executive Officer of the zilla panchayat N. Hemanth, dated June 25, 2025, has been sent to the Deputy Director of Public Instruction, Deputy Director of Pre-University Education (DDPU), and principals of ITI and diploma colleges in the district. This is part of the ‘Mission Suraksha’ campaign launched by the district administration. Many institutes, particularly government pre-university colleges, have begun to collect data in a separate register, which the students have to enter every month. The memo has instructed the institutes to handle the data with sensitivity and keep the collected data secure.

Mission Suraksha was launched following rising concerns over child marriages and teenage pregnancies. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in a conference with the Deputy Commissioners and CEOs of zilla panchayats in Bengaluru on May 30 and 31, had flagged this. The Shivamogga Deputy Commissioner held a meeting with officers on June 18 on the campaign.

A teacher, who wished not to be named, said the objective of Mission Suraksha was very good, which is ensuring the safety of the girl child. “However, making the girl students record their menstruation cycle is not acceptable,” she said.

Keeping info secure

Though the official memo states that the issue should be handled with sensitivity and the data kept secret, the administration has instructed the institutes that the data should be shared with the village-level committees meant to ensure the safety of women and children. The committee includes representatives of the gram panchayats and officers of the departments concerned.

“There is a need to spread awareness among children and initiate measures for their safety instead of collecting data about their menstruation cycle in this manner,” said another teacher.

Chandrappa S. Gundupalli, DDPU, said the purpose of the mission was to ensure the safety of children and prevent school dropouts, among others. “The objectives of the mission are very good. We are seeking the cooperation of the staff. However, there are difficulties in collecting information on the menstrual cycle. We have insisted that only women faculty members handle the registers and keep the data secret,” he said.

T.L. Rekhamba, an activist with the Karnataka State Mahila Dourjanya Virodhi Okkoota, found the step taken by the district administration appalling and insensitive. “Making girls record their menstruation cycle is nonsense. It will not serve the desired purpose. Instead, the government should take steps to spread awareness among girl students on the physical and psychological changes they go through during that age and how to address them. Besides the girls, everybody around them, including parents and teachers, need to be sensitised,” she said.

Cases in district

The memo, issued by the administration, states that there were 118 cases of child marriage and 231 cases of sexual assault on children in 2024-25 in the district. In the current year (April and May), 110 girls became pregnant at the age of 18. This was the trigger for launching Mission Suraksha.

Among the tasks assigned to the institutes are tracing school dropouts, tracking students who skip classes continuously for three or more days, and keeping an eye on the children of single parents, those who belong to migrating communities, and those children whose parents are serving jail terms.