26% of the world population is of reproductive age, whereas menstruation talks are still considered a taboo and subject of shame. 3 out of 10 girls are unaware of menstrual hygiene while 90% of girls miss an average of 4 school days monthly due to their period.
Formative research globally shows that menstruators always lack accurate and context-appropriate information about menstruation and menstrual hygiene. Young menstruators’ influencers including parents, teachers, and health workers may also lack necessary information or have misinformation, which in turn hinders young menstruators’ ability to gain knowledge and skills to undergo a healthy period and menarche.
No Comprehensive Sexuality Education
The overview of the current situation in Kenya shows that girls receive inadequate education on menarche, puberty, and menstrual hygiene management. They also don’t gain access to information channels for appropriate mentorship and knowledge.
It is such a shame that a large percentage of the menstruators population still face their menarche with confusion, anger, and embarrassment as a result of inadequate age and context-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education to educate them on their sexuality and period management.
Menstruation is a natural process that should be openly discussed among different genders and cadres. Negligence in menstrual hygiene can result in severe biological, psychological, and psychosocial disorders.
Communities perpetuate myths and misconceptions about menstruation that hinders menstruators’ ability to engage in decision making and socio-economic activities, for example, beliefs that menstruators are impure and hence can contaminate cows if they enter pens of the animals.
Although the Kenyan government integrates puberty education is schools’ curriculum, it only focuses on the biological instead of the psycho-social changes such as hygienic use and disposal of sanitary pads. Having gone through the Kenyan education system I can attest that what the Ministry of Education boasts to be ‘comprehensive puberty education’ is far from improving menstrual health and hygiene of menstruators.
Students are rarely prepared to face off their menarche and most teachers find the topic embarrassing hence will not provide comprehensive illustrations in classroom settings. There is a need for an appropriate comprehensive sexuality education that encompasses both biological and psycho-social changes that takes place during the period.
Not only do menstruators need to know the biological changes that take place during puberty but need a comprehensive education on how to manage their hygiene and how to correctly put on and dispose of hygienically menstrual products during menstruation. Comprehensive sexuality education gives menstruators confidence about their sexuality and a valid reason to menstruate normally without shame and stigma.
Menstruating Men?
According to Gloria Steinem’s 1978 satirical article where she asked, “what would happen, for instance, if suddenly, magically men could menstruate and women could not?” she found out that “menstruation would become an enviable, boast-worthy, masculine event: men would boast about the duration and extent.”
Empowering menstruators with the right sexual health information enables them to make informed choices and decisions as far as their menstrual health is concerned. They will accept menstruation as a natural and fulfilling phenomenon and bust taboos and stigma against menstruation.
menstruators influencers such as parents, teachers, religious leaders, and friends also need age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education to promote menstrual hygiene. Menstrual hygiene promotion is an indirect enabler to gender equality, socio-economic development, high literacy rates, and achievement of social development goals.
Menstruation is a natural process that should be openly discussed among different genders and cadres. Negligence in menstrual hygiene can result in severe biological, psychological, and psychosocial disorders. It is high time governments and responsible stakeholders implement comprehensive sexuality education and advocate for good menstrual management practices.