The onset of menstruation is one of the most important changes occurring among the girls during the adolescent years. The first menstruation or menarche occurs between the age of 11-15. In many parts of the country, especially in the rural areas, girls are not prepared and aware about menstruation, so they face difficulties and challenges at home and school. There is little, inaccurate or incomplete knowledge about menstruation.
Girls have little or no information about reproductive tract infections caused due to ignorance of personal hygiene. Adolescent girls constitute a vulnerable group where they are neglected. Menstruation is still regarded as something unclean or dirty in Indian society. Moreover, some view it as a disease and feel the need to shun those undergoing it.
Menstrual hygiene practices are affected by cultural norms, parental influence, personal preferences, economic status and socio-economic pressures. Many girls face restrictions on cooking, work activities, bathing, worshipping and eating certain foods. These restrictions are due to the overall perception of the people regarding menstruation as they consider it dirty and polluting. These prohibitions are more in rural areas than in urban areas. The girls are also not allowed to participate in religious activities or to touch religious articles. Unprepared girls confused and embarrassed about menarche are likely to develop a negative attitude towards menstruation.
Azad India Foundation (AIF), as part of the girls’ education program supported by Malala Fund, has introduced adolescent sexual and reproductive health and life skill sessions in 30 villages, covering 1200 girls. We decided to use our Non-Formal Education (NFE) centres as a platform to talk to the girls.
But the path has never been easy for the organization. Talking about SRH (sexual and reproductive health) that too about menstruation is still a taboo and something not to be discussed in open. The interaction with the girls revealed that most of them had no previous or sketchy knowledge about menstruation—besides, they felt hesitant to talk to their mothers about this.
The girls are forced to use an unhygienic cloth or whatever is available at home. They are not allowed to go out of homes during their periods and aren’t allowed in the kitchen. They are forced to sleep in separate rooms, can’t eat or touch pickles. They are not even allowed to touch soap in some instances!
“Every month, I miss a week of school when I get my periods, and this throws me off track from my studies.”
There is another reason girls drop out of schools: most of the schools do not have functional toilets or facilities for disposal of sanitary pads. Some of these girls could afford to buy sanitary pads and were instead forced to use cheaply available synthetic cloth. Mariam was one such girl we came across who was uncomfortable going to school during her periods.
During our interaction, she told us, “Every month, I miss a week of school when I get my periods, and this throws me off track from my studies.” When we asked her the reason, she replied, “Our school doesn’t have a functional toilet, and I’m afraid if I stain my clothes, I’ll be shamed.” Because of the lack of hygienic toilets and sanitary napkins, Mariam is forced to miss a week of classes in a month. This means she ends up missing three months of a school year. This takes a toll on her education. A lot of girls face the same problem as Mariam. Missing so many classes will eventually lead to dropping out of school.
Another challenge came from the maulanas (religious leaders) who play a crucial role in influencing the decisions of the community. They opposed all our efforts to talk about issues like menstruation with the girls. They argued that information about their bodies or talking about reproductive and sexual health would pollute the minds of the young girls.
AIF started interactions with the parents, community members and religious leaders. We organized an orientation program for the selected Maulanas and Madrasa teachers to inform them about the objectives and benefits of holding these sessions for the girls and to seek their support for the continuation of these classes with some success.
During the SRH sessions, the girls also showed their interest in learning how to make reusable cloth sanitary pads.
Project supervisor Gitika Sharma, who leads the SRH program and sanitary pad training for the girls, says: “Teaching girls how to make sanitary pads is very challenging. Most of the girls come from poor backgrounds where using commercial pads is a luxury they cannot afford. They are forced to use unhygienic and synthetic material. It is one of the main reasons for the girls to miss school or drop out altogether. It is important to teach them to make reusable cotton pads that do not affect their health besides being affordable. I am trying to involve more and more girls in this program.”
Making their own pads help the girls talk about their health issues more openly. In the process, they also get to learn about how to use and change the pads more often. The need to wash it properly and dry them in the sun and keeping it safely in a clean place are some of the other things that they are learning. This is also helping in debunking some common taboos related to menstruation.
The girls have become more confident in talking about their bodies and changes they undergo. They have become more regular in attending their school. Rosy from village Darnia says, “I am learning to make sanitary pads, as my parents are unable to buy me expensive pads. These are durable, and I do not need to miss my classes now.” At least 100 girls are now making their own reusable sanitary pads at home. Though their number is still small, but it is a beginning that will bring positive behavioral change among the girls.
The pandemic caused a nationwide lockdown in India for weeks at a stretch. People were allowed to go out to buy only essentials with very strict guidelines. Rural India was scared to go out because they had little knowledge of the disease and the guidelines. This made them fear the police as much as the virus. Many families faced monetary issues as their family members were forced to return back to their villages. Sanitary pad is a luxury which many could not afford.
Not being able to go out to buy sanitary napkins was a huge problem as it wasn’t counted as an essential item during the early days of the lockdown. The pandemic has led to school closures, and many girls are facing socio-economic difficulties at home and in the community. Personal hygiene takes a back seat, which, in turn, gives rise to a host of other health issues.
Some of our girls who had learned how to make sanitary napkins didn’t get as affected as others because they were able to make their own napkins, and they even made some for their locality! This instilled confidence in them, and they learnt to be self-reliant. We need to eliminate all the causes that hamper girl education or force them to miss or drop out of the schools.
The state and central government needs to focus on building the infrastructure of the schools as per mandated in the Right to Education Act. Fighting taboos and bringing behavioural change is a long drawn and complex process involving several stakeholders. It needs to be taken up with more intensity and determination in the post Covid period.