Time to end stigma on menstrual hygiene

On Saturday, May 28, 2022 Uganda and the global community commemorated the 8th Menstrual Hygiene Day.

According to UNICEF, every month, 1.8 billion girls and women across the world menstruate. Millions of these girls, women, transgender men and non-binary persons are unable to manage their menstrual cycle in a dignified, healthy way.

The onset of menstruation means a new phase – and new vulnerabilities in the lives of adolescents. Yet, many adolescent girls face stigma, harassment and social exclusion during menstruation.

Transgender men and non-binary persons also face discrimination due to their gender identity, depriving them of access to the materials and facilities they need. Gender inequality, discriminatory social norms, cultural taboos, poverty and lack of basic services like toilets and sanitary products can all cause menstrual health and hygiene needs to go unmet.

Today, millions of women and girls around the world are stigmatised, excluded and discriminated against because they menstruate. It is not acceptable because of a natural bodily function women and girls continue to be prevented from getting an education, earning an income and equally participate in everyday life.

Poor menstrual hygiene, caused by lack of education on the issue, in Uganda, insufficient menstrual hygiene management in schools contributes to a dropout rate of up to 10 percent of girls at the primary level, persisting taboos and stigma, limited access to hygienic menstrual products and poor sanitation infrastructure undermines the educational opportunities, health and overall social status of women and girls around the world. As a result, millions of women and girls are kept from reaching their full potential

This year’s theme on MHD is to make menstruation normal fact of life by 2030– a world where no woman or girl is held back because she menstruates

• This means a world in which every woman and girl is empowered to manage her menstruation safely, hygienically with confidence and without shame.

• Everyone can access and afford the menstrual product of their choice

• Period stigma is history

• Everyone has basic information about menstruation (this includes boys and men)

• Everyone can access period-friendly water, sanitation and hygiene facilities everywhere

One may wonder how we can achieve this by 2030,

• We need to understand that menstruation is not just a girls’ matter, it is everyone’s matter, it is high time we involved boys as key players in making menstruation normal fact of life by 2030, schools, families and communities need to stop separating girls and boys at the time of talking about menstruation, learning about menstruation and developing healthy habits to deal with “it” or help friends and sisters deal with “it” is crucial. Educating boys and girls about menstruation can build confidence and encourage healthy habits. Poor menstrual hygiene can lead to health risks linked to reproductive and urinary tract infections.

• Involvement of religious and cultural leaders will help us end stigma on menstruation, being decision makers and role models of their community this will help in reducing stigma.

• Use of mass media to raise more awareness and sensitise the general public on menstrual hygiene and management. Media creates trust on specific brand products, influence to use the hygienic products of menstruation time and maintain hygiene in washrooms and relevant health services in both urban and rural part. The role of media is not only limited as information providers but by gradually shaping public opinion, personal beliefs and even people’s self-perception, media influences the process of socialisation and shapes ideology and thinking more deeply on the concern issues.

• Strengthen the referral pathways through use of low cost high impact innovations like involving the school PTAs on menstrual hygiene, empowering senior women and senior men, empowering male and female coaches for different sports and creating of safe spaces like school clubs and community clubs for girls and boys.

The work of ending stigma on menstrual hygiene is multisectoral and requires different partners playing different roles with one goal, because if we don’t end stigma on menstrual hygiene we will have more escalating cases of mental health because stigma leads to depression and mental illness.

Babrah Namara, Project coordinator, Enhancing Learning and Coordination to End Child Marriage in Uganda Project.  Joy for Children Uganda, Girls Not Brides Uganda.