Menstruation is a blessing in disguise or still a taboo we would end up living with (2nd position)

That time of the month, Date, Chum, Aunt Flow, and what not? Periods are referred by every name possible, except of its own. Why is it so?

Menstruation is a natural biological process, which every woman goes through. But, the taboo, shame and social stigma associated with it, prevails to date.

It is generally associated with disgust, shame and impurity. This period stigma runs deep in the mindset of the society and leads to the exclusion of women from daily religious, cultural and social activities, also making it an uncomfortable topic to talk about openly.

There is lot to blame this taboo on. For starters, let’s take a look at these exact lines from popular religious books.

“go apart from women during the monthly course, do not approach them until they are clean”

- Quran 2:222,

“...in her menstrual impurity; she is unclean... whoever touches...shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening”

-Bible, Leviticus 15

Many religions, consider a menstruating woman, as impure, and believe that they should be segregated during their periods. These ancient religious beliefs have shaped many generations’ mindset and as a result created this social stigma.

However, not all societies consider it to be an impurity. Some societies, respect menstruation and see it as powerful, and sacred. In some parts of South India, for instance, the onset of menstruation cycle is celebrated, with the girl receiving gifts and money. ‘Raja Prabha’ is a popular 4-day-festival in Orissa, which

celebrates, womanhood and menstruation. Women from Yurok, a native tribe in the United States , see their periods as a time for purifying themselves.

In some parts of Ghana, West Africa, young girls are given gifts and money, and are celebrated when they begin to menstruate.

These ideas are rare, and the taboos and misconception about menstruation is almost universal.

Till today, in the times of active dialogue about women empowerment, and breaking the taboos, there are many parts of society stuck at the mentality of impurity of periods.

Women, are considered, impure, during this time and are not allowed to enter the kitchen, go to religious places, be a part of social and cultural activities.

Around 70 female students, from a college in Bhuj, Gujarat, were forced to remove their undergarments to prove that they were not menstruating. This was done, because they were not following the rules laid down to be followed during menstruation.

In India, less than 10% of the women, have access to basic hygiene, during menstruation, forcing a large chunk of the woman population, to go for unhygienic ways, to handle their periods. This leads to a lot of health complications and casualities.

Around 500 million girls around the world, lack such facilities, according to World Bank, leading to decrease in attendance and increase in school dropout rates.

Chhaupadi, is a custom in Nepal, that requires women to be confined in separate huts during menstruation, which have had serious health and sanitary problems and even death in some cases.

All of these problems, along with the stigma that prevails in the society, it has negative impact on the physical, sexual and mental well being of women and girls.

This stigma is deep rooted, but it takes, one person, one move, one act, to bring a change.

Arunachalam Muruganantham, the Padman of India, is one such person who took initiative and challenged the taboos that surround menstruation and gave women a chance to earn and work, and become entrepreanuers.

Rayka Zehtabchi’s short film, Period. End of Sentence won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short in 2018. It has a story similar to Arunachalam, of a woman who produces low cost sanitary napkins, providing employment to the women of the village.

Organisations such as WoMena and CARE have started to address this gap, implementing a pilot project in the Rhino refugee camp in Northern Uganda which provided menstrual cups and reusable pads.

Plan International UK has launched a period emoji, represented by a red droplet, to overcome the silence around the natural process which every women goes through.

Deep rooted believes are hard to change and takes time. But some steps in the right direction can start that process. The only solution to this problem, is to create dialogue and open discussions about this topic. Menstruation has to be normalized, for a healthier future for women.