Menstruation Around the World

Pakistan

Sindh

For many girls, menarche and periods are an unexpected experience. As a result, they become subject to trauma. The association of cultural norms with periods increases the trauma. In our culture, talking about periods is not common. This is due to a number of reasons. Firstly, talking about periods is considered as a shameful and disrespectful act. Secondly, areas like Sindh have a common custom: to get the girl married right after menarche so that her second period takes place at their husband’s house, as she is considered mature enough by society,

“I also shared this [that the menses started] with my mother who said that you have grown up now and you should not share it with your father otherwise he will marry you off. So I never shared it with my father. My mother also never shared it with my father.” (School girl, Hyderabad).

Thirdly, others have to drop out of school,

“My mother got very worried because that day my father and my brothers were at home. She cleaned me in the washroom and changed my clothes and asked me to lie down for a while. When my father and my brother left, then she told me about how to use the cloth. She also told me avoid going out during these days. She told me to stay at home and not to go the mosque or school so that no one should get an idea about it.” (Out-of-school girl, Khairpur).

Because of this, girls often stay unaware about the reasons behind physiological changes taking place in their bodies. Water, sanitation and hygiene facilities do not satisfy menstrual hygiene management requirements for girls.

Scotland

In 2018, Scotland became the first ever country to make sanitary products free for women and girls to fight period poverty. “Scotland will not be the last country to consign period poverty to history, but we have the chance to be the first.” 10% of girls in the UK couldnt afford period products and missed school. British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to ban the tax on tampons in January 2021.

India

In India, there is high taxation (12% GST) on sanitary products, which are essential items needed to manage one’s menstruation effectively. Vulnerable women unable to afford these products use ash, soil, leaves, rags, etc are more commonly used, which contribute to the development of urogenital infections in females. “Nearly 60,000 cases of cervical cancer deaths are reported every year from India, two-third of which are due to poor menstrual hygiene.” Girls go through monthly pressure and distress without a comforting hand, rather they are abused. Women’s privacy in schools, such as those in Dholpur District (a remote area), is not respected due to lack of purpose-built, separate, secure washrooms for females and no menstrual hygiene facilities e.g. sanitary pads. In such schools, especially the co-ed ones, girls are forced to drop out of school around seventh grade.

Kenya

65% of the female population in Kenya do not have enough money to buy menstrual products. Girls have even been reported to indulge in sex so that they could have money to afford sanitary pads. Even though its government is supplying sanitary ware, they have not always proved effective because of their limited supply. They also have common misconceptions. One example is the belief that women can not get pregnant unless they have sex during their period. Schools also have a limited supply of sanitary products.

Nepal

Chhaupadi is practiced in rural Nepal. It is a historical hindu tradition, which demands banishment of menstruation females to huts to stay during these days. They are considered impure, and are seen as unfortunate to the health and wellbeing of the family. They have no access to WASH facilities which makes it difficult for them to manage their period. This is a dangerous practice and many women have died because of suffocation, fire, attacks of harmful animals, e.t.c. The practice was banned in 2005, but people still follow it. The following photograph shows a girl abandoned from her home, as part of the custom.

Bibliography

“Chhaupadi and Menstruation Taboos.” ActionAid UK. Updated October 16, 2020. https://www.actionaid.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/womens-economic-empowerment/chhaupadi-and-menstruation-taboos.

Dutta, Saptarshi. “23 Million Women Drop Out Of School Every Year When They Start Menstruating In India: Women's Day.” NDTV. May 28, 2018. https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/23-million-women-drop-out-of-school-every-year-when-they-start-menstruating-in-india-17838/.

Higgins, Abigail. “Having a Period Is Unaffordable in Kenya, Yet No One Wants to Talk about It.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, January 5, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jan/05/having-a-period-is-unaffordable-in-kenya-yet-no-one-wants-to-talk-about-it.

Mumtaz, Zubia, Marni Sommer, Afshan Bhatti, Patrick Patterson. Adolescent Girls Information Needs regarding Menstrual Hygiene Management: The Sindh Experience. Pakistan: UNICEF Pakistan, 2017. https://www.unicef.org/pakistan/reports/adolescent-girls-information-needs-regarding-menstrual-hygiene-management-sindh-experience.

“Scotland First in the World to Make Sanitary Products Free.” Al Jazeera. November 25, 2020. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/25/scotland-first-in-the-world-to-make-sanitary-products-free.

“Why India Must Battle the Shame of Period Stain.” BBC News. May 28, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52830427.