TABOO NO MORE. PERIOD!
On the occasion of International Menstrual Hygiene Day, we speak to women about menstruation taboos and associated stigma
‘Don’t go into the kitchen’ or ‘don’t touch the prasad’ are things that menstruating women have to often hear from their elders. That’s not all, some girls aren’t even allowed to enter other people’s homes during their period! Menstruation still has a lot of taboo and stigma attached to it in India. To mark International Menstrual Hygiene Day on Sunday, India Bull Riders is organising a bike rally as part of Breaking the Silence Campaign whose theme is ‘Men take lead’, to end the stigma associated with periods. Womentalk about menstruation taboos and the need for the Government to make sanitary napkins tax-free. Shreya Krishnan, directormarketing, communications and CSR, First Advantage says, “Many women don’t have access to clean sanitation. It’s sad that so many girls drop out of school when they hit puberty because of this. Some girls have to use cloth during their period. There are also those who have access to sanitary napkins, but can’t afford them as they’re expensive, so the Government shouldn’t be taxing pads.”
She emphasises that the main issue during periods is hygiene, but that becomes completely sidelined. “Even today, talking about your period to men is considered taboo — it’s like some dirty secret. We should embrace it — it’s as natural as breathing. Men should take the lead in this conversation.”
For Samarpita Samaddar, who works at Eros International, taxing an essential health product for women, but exempting sindoor, bangles and bindis from tax, seems like a regressive move. “It shows that we are upholding patriarchal norms in a world where we have some countries providing two days leave per month for menstruating women. Sadly, patriarchy is engrained in women too.”
Marketing executive Isha Khanolkar chips in, “Just when we saw states like Kerala taking a step forward by installing sanitary pad vending machines, the central government has taken two steps back with its move. Initiatives like the “sauchalay banao” won’t have a full impact on women’s health if we deny them access to basic feminine hygiene products.”
Speaking about the stigma, she adds, “I’ve been a part of conversations when men talk about how their co-workers inconvenience them by being absent on “those days of the month”. There’s still wide spread unawareness of what women have to deal with. Schools should educate girls and boys alike on what takes place during those five days. Parents should also have conversations on the topic.”