Importance of Menstrual Awareness

How many of us know about or are aware of the special day that May 28th is?

May 28th of each year is International Menstrual Hygiene Day. The importance of being seen, heard, and valued can make a young girl strive and it cannot be overlooked. A wise woman once told me, “We are all different, different but the same.”Before she transitions from a child to a young woman, a young girl without proper guidance or support is a negligence on us as a society. And it shouldn’t be!

World Menstrual Hygiene Day is a celebration of a young girl reaching womanhood. It is also a celebration of “That humanity is woman” as the renowned Burkinabe singer Smarty said. However, it is a reminder to us all that girls are still ignored, undervalued, and left alone to fend for themselves when that transition happens. The case is even worse in underdeveloped countries. It is even far worse in French-speaking African countries.

For most of us growing up in Sub-Saharan Africa, we were not given the pep talk before our first menstruation or period. Instead, the awakening came for us when we first noticed blood on our underwear. We could tell on our mothers’ faces that their expressions were not a sign of joy, achievement, or pride. Their expressions were more of worries and uncertainties that their young daughters could get pregnant at any moment and there goes away her future! I remember that from that point on, my life wasn’t the same anymore.

My pep talk was very short, and it was basically to cover the fact that I will be getting my period once a month. This would require me to wear a pad or reusable one and mostly to stay away from boys because I could get pregnant. The unease about the topic of menstruation wasn’t only in my household but everywhere, even in school. It was treated like a secret most girls kept while going to school and only shared with a few trusted friends because we were afraid to let it be known that we were no longer girls. We were now young women with a responsibility to not disgrace our families by getting pregnant at a younger age. More than that, the disgrace wasn’t the tipping point, but the constant fear of one day having a stained skirt while in class.

Imagine that! The shame, the talk, or gossip among the girls as well as the boys on top of that!
Imagine your headteacher telling you to cover the blood stain up, and without any support or understanding, almost as if you did something wrong. 

Imagine all of this going on or happening while you are only between 9 to 13 years of
age. This can be unbearable to a girl of that age, leaving her the only choice to skip
school for days to take the steam off the shame. In Burkina Faso, it is found that 7 out of
10 girls suffered from cramps, fatigue, and stress just to name a few. Consequently, 21%
of girls missed school, and 83% participated less in school.

Certainly, there are other reasons besides the shame, that will prevent a girl from going to school. One of the main issues is period poverty. By definition, period poverty is
when a girl or her parents cannot afford to buy decent pads every month for her to
properly manage her period. When that happens, what can a girl do? Well, she will stay at home for a few days. This is the reason I say it is a crisis and no longer a female
problem because a simple pad should not induce a girl to feel less confident to skip
school or less dignified when she has her period. I know some people will argue that in
some families the cost is too high and that they cannot afford the pads. 

However, there are other alternatives like reusable pads, which are less expensive, durable, more efficient, and eco-friendly. This is a crisis worth talking about. Period poverty should be fair to point out that it is also a global issue. However, in most studies, the general inclusion does not quite often include French francophone African countries. It is also sometimes missing in the media with the focus given more to English-speaking African countries.

For example, in a post from the BBC, Period poverty: African women priced out of
buying sanitary pads, while the findings and studies are welcome, it is prudent to note that out of the selected countries for the study representing Africa (Ghana, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, and Kenya) are English speaking countries that there were no French-speaking African countries in the study
and therefore, are not representative of French-speaking African countries.

So where do we go from here? First, conversation must start within the household, a girl should not rely solely on outsiders to teach her about her period. That responsibility belongs to her family or her guardian. Let’s bring the uncomfortable back to the reality that menstruation is a part of life. Let’s not avoid it (the talk), only confront it head-on, deal with it and accept it as liberating. Let’s redefine the social construct of period shame! Since society defines culture. Feminine products should be part of a girl’s school supplies. If we deem that school supplies are a necessity for education, so should feminine pads. Buying both school supplies and menstruation/period supplies is vital to ensure that a girl will not skip classes or feel undervalued for not having a feminine pad.

Second, a call for inclusivity rather than generalization must exist. Future studies need to have a full representation of Africa in their stories and content because it matters that those French-speaking African countries are mentioned, and the world sees that even though some of those countries do not appear on their daily news or study in their schools. It is crucially important that the international community knows that poverty does exist in these parts, and it is as relevant as in English-speaking African countries.

Third, let’s bring boys into the conversation. The emancipation of period shame is not only a conversation between mothers and daughters, but also between fathers and sons, mothers and sons, and brothers and sisters. A brother who is educated on period shame or trained as a peer mentor would be more adept, supportive, and helpful to his sister in taking the stigma out. Studies have shown that when a boy is educated on period shame, he is more likely to show compassion or empathy to his sisters or female friends.

Moreover, let’s dismantle the fear that a girl is impure or not fit to do any kind of household chores, let’s stop pointing the finger at her, and let’s stop putting pressure or forcing her to get married because she is now menstruating. We all need to realize that she is still a girl and in the process of womanhood. Breaking down the stigma of period shame starts at all levels with everyone involved whether it is in the household, schools, or public places. We should be advocating to cancel period shame for good! Emancipation of period shame happens through education. Together, we can end period poverty and period shame.

Finally, we believe in putting value and worth on a girl’s education. We believe putting a spotlight on her gender will help to demystify the traditional views that a girl is a second-class citizen, or that she is only valuable to bear children. As we celebrate this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day theme, “Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld. There is hope that period shame, period poverty, and period taboos will cease to exist.

We will strive for a more #PeriodFriendlyWorld where a girl will no longer skip classes due to inadequate toilets, lack of feminine products, or having the finger pointed at.

I do believe that the end of period shaming is near too. My message to the young girl is that despite the obstacles that she may have to endure and overcome, she will stay strong through evolution and transformation (whether mental, physical, or social). She will persevere to stay strong while becoming the woman that she will be tomorrow because she has a superpower within her, which is her period.

A big shout out @ WASH United gGmbH and to all those organizations who are paving the way and working tirelessly to ensure that period shame is no longer a taboo globally. I commend you and applaud you for it.

Happy World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2024!!!