Menstrual Hygiene is a big taboo to speak of, even among women! Let’s change that by loving our bodies and every part of it., It is essential to know the best menstrual hygiene practices and share the ...
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78 likes, 11 comments - biodermaindia on May 27, 2020: "Menstrual Hygiene is a big taboo to speak of, even among women! Let’s change that by loving our..."
Break the taboos around menstruation
Make sanitary napkins affordable and available to all women and girls
VISUAL: STAR
In a society where menstruation is still a taboo subject, it is only natural that the issue of maintaining health hygiene during menstruation would also remain neglected.
- Despite the many programmes taken up by the government and its development partners to raise awareness in this regard, studies have found that a majority of women still do not use sanitary napkins or other menstruation hygiene products. The National Hygiene Survey conducted by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in 2018 found that only 30 percent women in Bangladesh used disposable sanitary napkins, while only 32 percent knew about menstruation before they had it. Studies have also found that due to a lack of proper facilities, school absenteeism of girls remains a big challenge.
- The price is also an issue here. How will women and girls from less privileged backgrounds afford to buy them if a single napkin cost Tk 10 and a packet of 10 napkins cost Tk 100 on average?
- Thus, they resort to using old clothes during their periods which is unhygienic and can lead to various infections. But, of course, there has been some progress over the last few years—around 85 percent of women used old clothes during menstruation in 2014, which reduced to 63 percent in 2019, the BBS study found.
- While girls should know about menstruation before they have it, boys should also be sensitised about the subject.
- Moreover, all schools should have proper menstruation hygiene facilities so that girls do not have to stay at home during their period.
- All our educational institutions can consider setting up vending machines from where girls can get sanitary napkins whenever they need.
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Menstrual health: A taboo worth breaking
The Business Standard contacted a few such social change makers to learn what is being done about this issue
Eshita thought something was wrong with her when she experienced her first menstrual cycle. She did not know that this was a natural phenomenon. Her childhood fun and joy came to an abrupt end when she was only a sixth grader. Her mother kept her at home for the next seven days.
The following year, there was a chapter on menstruation and menstrual hygiene in her Home Economics book. But, her teacher never went through the chapter, and assured the girls that it was not important for the examination. Her mother also folded the pages of that chapter.
That was thirteen years ago when she was living in a divisional town. No one there was comfortable about discussing this natural process of womanhood.
The following year, there was a chapter on menstruation and menstrual hygiene in her Home Economics book. But, her teacher never went through the chapter, and assured the girls that it was not important for the examination. Her mother also folded the pages of that chapter.
That was thirteen years ago when she was living in a divisional town. No one there was comfortable about discussing this natural process of womanhood.
Now she is a teacher at an English medium school in Dhaka city, and she observes with wonder that things have not changed much over time.
People still treat menstruation as taboo.
People still treat menstruation as taboo.
The World Bank's Wash Poverty Diagnostic research published in 2018 proved that Eshita's observation was true.
- It showed that only six percent of schools in Bangladesh teach their students about menstrual hygiene.
- An analysis presented in the 40th WEDC International Conference 2017 reveals that 72 percent schoolgirls don't go to school during menstruation. It badly affects their studies.
Evidently the process of empowering women is being impeded by period poverty.
Many organisations are trying to improve the situation by breaking the taboo around menstruation. They are trying to change existing social norms and practices that restrict girls from going out or eating nutritious food during menstruation.
The Business Standard contacted a few such social change makers to learn what is being done about this issue.
Marzia Prova, the project coordinator of 'Donate a pad for hygiene Bangladesh,' said she goes to remote rural areas with sanitary napkins to teach girls about the importance of menstrual hygiene, and to break the ice about the subject.
She said, "In most cases, people from low-income groups do not talk about menstruation in their families."
She thinks the situation can change if conversations and discussions about menstruation and menstrual hygiene become more frequent.
She also suggested that sanitary napkins should be made affordable for everyone.
She said, "In most cases, people from low-income groups do not talk about menstruation in their families."
She thinks the situation can change if conversations and discussions about menstruation and menstrual hygiene become more frequent.
She also suggested that sanitary napkins should be made affordable for everyone.
. . .Atia Nur Chowdhury, director of project Konna of Bondhu Foundation, a NGO, thinks that the syllabus of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) is not enough to address social practices regarding periods.
- "Though we prefer working in remote areas, the scenario in cities is not very good either. There are schools in Dhaka city where parents object to their children being taught anything about menstrual hygiene," said Atia.
- Still, all their initiatives seem inadequate because a Unicef report published in 2018 shows that only 6.5 percent of girls are aware of menstruation.
- Prof Ratan Siddique, former member of the NCTB, said, "Our society is still conservative. People may not accept the syllabus if we put everything there suddenly."
This is why they were taking one step at a time, he said. "We are trying to tackle the issue gradually. Hopefully, in the future, we will include details on menstrual hygiene," he added.
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