Periods, filthy washrooms: Plight of Indian women stranded in war-torn Ukraine

Hyderabad : “SUMY is our top priority,” remarked the spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Arindam Bagchi on Saturday. The spokesperson was of course speaking about Indian students stuck in Sumy, a noreasthern city in war-torn Ukraine. At the moment, there is no clarity on what the MEA plans to do and how, if at all they plan on rescuing Indian students stuck in Sumy state university.
After reports of students melting snow to collect water for drinking emerged, Siasat.com reached out to a few female Indian students to better understand what other indignities they were troubled with.
“The washrooms have not been cleaned for the last four days. We don’t have water since the last two days. With too many people using one washroom, and no body cleaning it up, the toilets get dirty in an hour,” remarks Anupriya Khare, a student stuck in one of the hostels in Sumy. She further adds that with men and women using one washroom in some of the hostels, it makes things a little uncomfortable.
“Our male batch-mates have been very accommodating and understanding. They ask us to stay put in the hostel and step out, risking their lives, to go collect any amenities if and when needed. But a general discomfort exists,” she says.
A similar sentiment about hygiene was remarked by Ashwin Sandhu, another woman enrolled at Sumy. “No water essentially means nothing gets flushed. A few of my female friends who are menstruating are afraid to use the washroom. Its dirty and it stinks. One is not even in a position to step in,” she adds.
Adding to these accounts, Shivangi, a third year medical student, informs this reporter how big a problem the lack of water poses. “The elevators in the hostel don’t work. If we need water, we have to walk half a kilometre away from our hostels and there is always the fear that a new explosion could rear its ugly head. To add to this we have to walk back in the freezing climate (-6 degrees).”