CEU eTD Collection (2025); Bineth, Aliz: Menstruating in Crisis: Assessing the Austrian Red Cross Menstruation Hygiene Management Training for Humanitarian Workers

CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
Author Bineth, Aliz
Title Menstruating in Crisis: Assessing the Austrian Red Cross Menstruation Hygiene Management Training for Humanitarian Workers
Summary While menstruation has gradually gained attention in humanitarian aid discourse, academic research has largely focused on aid recipients, with limited attention to the preparedness and attitudes of humanitarian workers themselves. This thesis addresses this gap by evaluating the effectiveness of the Austrian Red Cross (AutRC) Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Training through five essential components for good menstruation education for humanitarian workers: inclusiveness, principle-based approach, local context, inter-cluster collaboration, and attitude.
By employing thematic analysis on the training materials and conducting semi-structured interviews with past training participants and facilitators, the training reveals to effectively equip humanitarian workers with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to integrate menstruation health and hygiene management into their work. However, the analysis also reveals gaps in the training materials, particularly in inclusiveness, local context, and inter-cluster collaboration, which were not always perceived as such by participants. These findings suggest a disconnect between training design and participant experience, highlighting the need for more consistent integration of all five components.
The study concludes that the AutRC training is an effective and adaptable model for other humanitarian organizations. Its success underscores the importance of equipping humanitarian workers to support menstruators with dignity and care, reinforcing that menstruation is not an individual concern but a shared responsibility in crisis response.
Supervisor Seidler, Valentin
Department Public Policy MA
Full texthttps://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/bineth_aliz.pdf

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