Vancouver Philanthropist Katrina Sriranpong Discusses Menstruation Stigma and its Impact on Human Rights
Menstruation stigma still exists in many or most cultures around the world. Unfortunately, women may be excluded from certain positions and settings due to menstruation. Some traditions prevent women and girls from cooking food and require them to live outside of the home, usually in a hut or livestock shed, when they are menstruating. As a result, women and girls have been exposed to isolation, extreme temperatures, animal attacks and sexual violence.
In 2019, a 21 year old Nepali woman died of suffocation in a windowless “menstruation hut” after she started a fire to keep herself warm. Her body was discovered by her mother-in-law who said “she was excited about the next day as her menstruation would end. Poor child closed her eyes forever.” This tragic incident came just weeks after a mother and her two sons died in a similar shed. According to the ancient tradition of Chhaupadi, women who have periods or have just given birth are seen as impure and bringers of bad luck. They are banned from touching some foods, religious items and men. As such, these poor females are subjected to extreme weather in small huts. Although Nepal criminalized the practice of exiling menstruating women and girls in 2017, it remains a widespread practice in rural areas.
In rural parts of Ethiopia, women and girls are banned from the home during menstruation, childbirth and also postpartum bleeding. In India, some women and girls are forced to live outside the home and wear the same clothes and use the same utensils when menstruating as these are believed to be unclean and cannot be taken into the home even after the period is over.
Some cultures believe that menstruation demonstrates the readiness for marriage and sex, which leads to forced child marriages, sexual activity and early pregnancy. Menstruation could start at the age of 7 and does not indicate that females have reached an age of mental or physical maturity.
It is a lack of information about menstruation that leads to damaging ideas and discrimination, leading girls and women across the world to miss out on normal experiences. These stigmas, taboos and myths create barriers for both girls and boys from being educated on the matter as well as practicing healthy habits.
A recent report by UNICEF and the World Health Organization revealed that a significant proportion of women in developing countries are still struggling during menstruation. Due to the financial burden posed by menstrual supplies, many low-income females face “period poverty.” Many females struggle to afford menstrual products, which force them to stay home from school or work, which obviously has lasting negative consequences on their education and economic opportunities. For example, in Kenya, studies have shown that some schoolgirls have engaged in selling sex to pay for their menstrual products. Further, 15% of girls in Burkina Faso, 20% in Ivory Coast and 23% in Nigeria missed school in the last 12 months due to their periods. Also, one in five girls and women in Samoa, Laos, and Ethiopia used no menstrual products during their periods, putting them at risk of infection and health issues.
Silence about menstruation leads to ignorance and violations of human rights. The right to health, the right to education, the right to work and the right to non-discrimination and gender equality are all undermined by women’s and girls’ treatment during menstruation. Menstruation should be discussed publicly to break the silence and taboo. Men and boys must be involved in the discussion about gender equality and eliminating the stigma and discrimination associated with menstruation.
Recently, Save the Children joined in on their yearly conversation about menstruation on May 28, 2022, to break the stigma and raise awareness for gender equality and the empowerment of girls. They shared a story from the community of Milange, Mozambique, where boys were taught how to make reusable menstrual pads. Menstruation causes an increase in the likelihood that young girls may skip school, due to pain, shame, or lack of supplies. This greatly highlights the need for menstruation education and access to health-promoting habits. Save the Children’s Ungumi project works with youth ages 10-19 in the areas of Milange, Murrumbala and Derre in the Zambezia province. Their goal is to provide education about sexual and reproductive health and rights.
“At first, I found it very strange when the mentor said that we would learn how to make menstrual pads,” 17-year-old Raul shared in the article. “With time, I began to realize that we should know about how to help the girls who end up leaving school […].”
By ending the stigma, social norms can be changed, as well as the behaviours that negatively impact those who menstruate. Please consider donating to one of the charities below:
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