Menstrual Hygiene Day – May 28
Ayushi Sharma, a Standard VII student at a Central Government-run school in Bhubaneswar, was recently humiliated in front of the entire class by a female teacher.
Reason: Her school bag contained a Menstrupedia Comic, a book designed to teach teenage girls about their periods.
To address the commonly held misunderstandings about menstruation, one of the very normal bodily activities, Ayushi’s mother ordered the book online for her.
The way Ayushi’s teacher reacted may be a mirror of society as a whole and a contributing factor in the stigmatisation of millions of girls and women worldwide for this universal truth.
If a teacher, whose job is to dispel stigma and taboos around menstruation and increase awareness of its difficulties, can think in such a way, what to think about the store owners who wrap sanitary pads in either newspaper or a black carry bag?
Most menstrual difficulties, according to health professionals, are caused by the stress that women experience during this time.
To create a society in which no one is held back because they menstruate, we are commemorating World Menstrual Hygiene Day today. However, the objective cannot be achieved unless the period-related silence is broken or until society begins to discuss it.
‘Want men to speak about period health’
“We often ask women to talk about period freely but have we ever thought whether the environment is friendly for them to talk about it ?” asked Dr Priyanka Mohanty, a physician and social activist of Kalahandi.
Known as the ‘Pad Girl of Odisha’ Mohanty said, “I tried my best to educate women about their period health and taboos but I realised no matter how much I do, they are still ashamed of talking about it freely in front of their male counterparts.”
She went on to add, “Therefore, I always wanted men to speak about period health so that women around them feel better and free to let them know and get a better medical intervention for diseases related to bad menstrual hygiene management.”
Priyanka acknowledged the role of Subhajit Dash, an IT professional and an influencer to help her promote a de-stigmatised society.
“When I texted him to help me in the journey to eradicate shame about the word ‘period’ I never really thought he will be so helpful. He not only helped me to reach out people but also presented things in a very funny and emotional way which makes him an absolute favourite of Odisha,” recalled Priyanka.
She also didn’t forget to mention Sameer Sahoo and Sekhar Kumar Das who came out of their comfort zone to do something for women of Odisha.
“Both of them helped me immensely to neutralise Period stigmas in Odisha,” acknowledged Priyanka.
Sharing her thoughts on Menstruation Hygiene Day, she concluded, “Men and women both are two important pillars of society and can’t survive without each other and not just women but men are equally responsible to create shame free environment where women can reach to doctors for medical intervention to fight against diseases related to period. And the day a man gets a pad to a woman not out of shame but a normal essential necessity and a woman doesn’t wrap the sanitary napkin in a bag anymore that day Odisha will win the battle of fighting against period poverty.”
‘Hurdles turn learning curves’
After sensitising people over menstrual hygiene in more than 700 villages and 100 schools for the last 12 years, Ankita Sahoo of Dhenkanal is now known as ‘Pad Woman of Odisha’.
The freelance journalist and the documentary filmmaker has so far distributed over 60,000 sanitary pads amongst the needy to address the issue.
Asked what made her take such an initiative, Ankita said, “Since I am a journalist, I often write on women health and hygiene. I also came know a lot of things about the issue while shooting for my documentary films. I found a lot of hesitancy and shame among women about menstruation which ultimately lead to a lot of complications. They suffer due to age-old beliefs regarding menstruation and don’t even discuss with anyone about their problems, let alone consulting the doctors. Soon, I started working on it and so far I have distributed thousands of sanitary pads among those who didn’t know what menstrual hygiene was all about.”
She continues: “Period is a biological process like other body functions. It’s not a matter of shame. Rather, it’s not possible to become a mother without this. During a survey, I found that one in four women of most villages in Odisha suffers from period-related complications. Therefore, there is a need to overcome the taboo. I always ask the village girls and women to ask for sanitary pads without hesitation.”
On the hurdles she faced during her sensitisation initiatives, she shared, “Though I face a lot of difficulties during such campaigns, I didn’t consider them real hurdles. Moreover, they have turned learning curves for me. Often, both men and women turn hostile and raises voice against such awareness programme due to their ignorance. But later, they also come forward to join me in my next programme.”
Ankita concluded by saying that many women, of tribal areas in particular, can’t afford to buy sanitary pads which make them resort to unhygienic practices during their periods. Therefore, people, with means and resources, should come forward to distribute napkins among the village women.
‘Forcing ancient beliefs can be hazardous’
Tapas Rout, a novelist and filmmaker who was raised in a rural village in the Kendrapara district, has always been troubled by the subject of menstruation hygiene.
His concern about the issue made him make a short film on the issue and reach out to its target audience.The movie, Utsav, went on to win top award at a festival supported by Unicef.
The first period is one of the most difficult moments in a teen girl’s life, according to Tapas, who shared his opinions on the topic and the premise of his movie.
“Even though I now live in a city, I have seen that our society still adheres to old traditions regarding period. So the movie gave me a chance to talk about this problem and influence people’s perspectives,” he says.
“Unhygienic habits throughout the menstrual cycle can cause a number of chronic illnesses that make a woman suffer for her entire life. I think my movie has triggered a conversation among both urban and rural masses,” he adds.
When asked about his teenage years, Tapas reflects, “A girl reaching puberty was a hush-hush issue during my school days and the scenario hasn’t really changed much even now. I used to think it was normal back then. But I didn’t learn about the negative impacts of menstruation hygiene ignorance until I was exposed to the world of literature.”
Tapas further quips, “An adolescent girl frequently misunderstands how her body behaves. It is the family and friends that should make her comfortable at this vital time. They should speak with her and allow her to talk about her health instead of forcing their ancient beliefs upon her which can be proved hazardous for a girl’s health.”
He proceeded, echoing Dr. Priyanka Mohanty’s viewpoint, by saying that males have a responsibility to ensure that women are comfortable. They should be the ones to start the conversation about the problem without stigmatising their female counterparts.
“Menstrual hygiene is a global issue, but there hasn’t been much discussion, particularly in India. Therefore, it’s about time that males step up and can do things like buying sanitary pads for the women at home or adding feminine hygiene products in family’s monthly grocery list, since this can help to significantly reduce the shame associated with menstruation,” concludes the filmmaker.
