Her face told more than a thousand words – even without her uttering a single one.
She only wished the ground would open up and swallow her, saving her from the total and utter discomfiture, embarrassment, guilt and shame.
“I felt more than embarrassed to be a girl,” recalls Vongai Sibanda, saying her first period came at 13 years nine months during the first term of her first year in secondary school.
She was at a mission boarding school in the Midlands when that happened.
“That” was her first menstrual period.
Vongai’s state of confusion and shame is all too common among most, if not all, girls her age as they lack basic knowledge about their sexual and reproductive health and general biological development.
“I was not knowledgeable about how and why it happens, and what to expect. So, naturally, I was scared and confused.”
Her “scaring” experience is all too common. Girls around the world lack basic knowledge about their sexual and reproductive health and struggle to access menstrual health supplies. Many grapple with shame and taboos surrounding menstruation.
These issues undermine girls’ health and rights. Girls can be subjected to stigma or miss school due to difficulty managing their menstrual hygiene. And Vongai understands these challenges.
“I dreaded these days and going to classes,” she told this publication on the sidelines of a Menstrual Health Management symposium held in the capital recently.
The case of MHM was top of the agenda and covered concerns from access to sanitary products, dignified treatment and education on menstrual health management.
Mrs Muchuchu, a Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development, giving a presentation to participants, said MHM is “a human rights issue that all of us must strive for”
“We need to break down taboos, misconceptions and myths around the issue of menstruation and build positive understanding around this normal process,” she said.
In fact, according to research, these misconceptions lead to disempowerment of the girl child.
“How do we empower young girls to know that menstruation is not something to be ashamed of?,” she wondered, calling for an enabling policy environment that improves sexual and reproductive health.
MHM can result in a significant investment, including by increasing women’s and girls’ participation in education and the economy.
But there are enormous challenges that need to be addressed first says Stephano Gudukeya, from Population Services International Zimbawe office.
“Our sexuality is very much a hidden thing,” she said
“However not talking about menstrual health perpetuates stigma and discrimination,” she said, adding: “Access to sexuality education is vital for menstrual literacy but also for self-confidence, self-esteem and self-worth.”
Men and boys must be involved in ending menstrual stigma, she added.
“After all they are our husbands, fathers and brothers and we want them to be our allies and supporters!”
Lack of menstrual health education, products, infrastructure and an enabling environment leads to female disempowerment through the following:
- Poor self-esteem and psychological well-being.
- Restricted mobility and inability to participate in daily activities
- Challenges of focusing at school- due to pain and fear of “leaking”
- Exclusion from social activities and inability to make informed choices
“There is therefore need to link menstrual health and sexual reproductive health and use this as an entry point to discuss sexual health and family planning with younger target groups,” she explained.
Maria Carmen Punzi, from PSI Europe, who was guest-speaking at the event, weighed in, explain that “menstruation is a normal biological process and a key sign of reproductive health, yet in many cultures it is treated as something negative, shameful or dirty”.
“The continued silence around menstruation combined with limited access to information at home and in schools results in the majority of women and girls having very little knowledge about what is happening to their bodies when they menstruate and how to deal with it,” she said.
Citing United Nations Children Education Fund studies across the globe, she noted that 1 out of 3 girls in South Asia knew nothing about menstruation prior to getting it while 48% of girls in Iran and 10% in India believe that menstruation is a disease.
In addition to persisting taboos, women and girls’ capacity to manage their periods is affected by a number of other factors, including limited access to affordable and hygienic sanitary materials and disposal options leaving many to manage their periods in ineffective, uncomfortable and unhygienic ways.
In some contexts, natural materials such as mud, leaves, cowdung or animal skins are used to manage the menstrual flow (UNESCO 2013, Puberty Education and Menstrual Hygiene Management). These problems are further exacerbated by insufficient access to safe and private toilets and lack of clean water and soap for personal hygiene. As a result, menstruating girls and women often feel ashamed and embarrassed.
