Breaking the silence
Menstrual Hygiene Day, celebrated worldwide every 28 May, raises awareness about menstrual hygiene management.
Menstruation is a normal and healthy part of most women’s lives. About half of the female population is of reproductive age and the majority menstruate each month. But in many cultures it is not discussed and can be viewed as dirty or impure. The topic is still taboo in many places. The silence around it can lead to a lack of knowledge and can generate damaging misconceptions.
For many adolescents, discussing menstruation can be difficult.
“I learned about periods from Girls Club at school … but I am too shy to tell my parents so I just take money from my dad for different reasons to buy pads,” said Serkalem Fekadu, 14, in Grade 7 at Zengoo Primary School.
To break the silence around menstrual hygiene, boys and men must take part in the dialogue.
“None of my family went to school, and joining Girls Club has helped me teach three of my sisters about menstruation [sic] hygiene,” Alemayhu Deresa, 16, in the sixth grade at Zengoo, said.
“My sister used to tell me about periods but I was still shocked to see blood; I quickly told my sister and she helped me understand more,” Hiwi Teshome, 15, also a Grade 6 student at Zengoo Primary School, said about her first menstrual experience.
Boys are equally as engaged as girls.
Solomon Misaye, 12, in Grade 6 and a member of the Zengoo Girls Club said: “I shouldn’t shame the girls at my school … [but should] rather support them. I was happy to learn about periods and I invited my guy friends to join Girls Club too.”
“I asked myself ‘What is happening?’,” Kuri Tenkolu, 16, in Grade 7 at Zengoo Primary, said about her first menstruation experience: “… my mom saw the bloodstain on my dress and she was the one who explained it to me. At the moment though, I lacked so much confidence. I don’t know why.”
Boys are also helping to mobilize their peers and family members on menstruation.
“My dad told me my sister got raped because she was bleeding and crying.… I explained it to him and also to my little sister about menstruation…,” said Girls Club member Alemayehu Belete, 17, in Grade 6.
“I wasn’t scared at all!” Senayet Yimane, 17, in Grade 8 at Zengoo, said. “My mom used to tell me about it and I knew what was going on.”
Open discussion on the topic can help break the taboo and have a profound impact in supporting the right of girls and women to privacy and dignity.
