Disadvantaged girls’ menstrual dilemma

ZIMBABWE joined the rest of the world in celebrating World Menstrual Hygiene Day last Friday, amid calls for all stakeholders to take an active interest in menstrual health as many women and girls in disadvantaged communities continue facing challenges during menstrual days.

Menstrual Hygiene Day is an annual awareness day held on May 28 to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene at a global level.

It was initiated by a German- based non- governmental organisation, WASH United in 2014.

This year, the commemorations ran under the theme “Menstruation matters, let’s talk about it. Period!”

Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) marketing and communication officer Mrs Fadzayi Maposah said poor menstrual hygiene caused by a lack of education, persisting taboos and stigma, limited access to hygienic menstrual products.

She said poor sanitation infrastructure undermined educational opportunities, health and overall social status of women and girls in communities.

“There is need for everyone to be involved in menstrual health at home, schools and in communities,” said Mrs Maposah. “There is also need to reach out to men and boys, thus people need to freely talk about menstruation.”

Plan International’s sexual and reproductive health and rights expert Mr Maxwell Mhlanga said millions of women and girls were kept from reaching their full potential because of shyness on menstrual problems.

“Improving menstrual health and tackling period-shame we can improve girls’ attendance and performance at school, break down taboos and misconceptions around menstruation, raise girls’ self-esteem and enable girls to fully participate in all aspects of society,” he said.

“Taboos, myths and shame surrounding menstruation can lead to teasing, shaming and exclusion from daily activities and have a negative effect on girls’ feelings of dignity.

“Cultural and religious traditions around periods are often derived from discriminatory and patriarchal norms about a girl’s status and place in society.

“As an organisation, we empower girls by giving them skills to make home-made sanitary pads. We also make sure that girls are being given correct information about menstruation and we advocate free lessons for all girls and young women.”

Miss Thobekile Sibanda ( 19) from Epworth said: “We need information about menstrual health. We also need reusable pads as sanitary pads are very expensive.”