Time to talk periods: Coalition declares first-ever Menstrual Hygiene Day

WaterAid has joined a coalition of organisations to declare the first-ever Menstrual Hygiene Day this Wednesday, 28 May.

On any given day, more than 800 million women between the ages of 15 and 49 are menstruating. Yet menstruation remains a taboo subject.

Myths that in some cases date to Roman times – don’t look in a mirror or it will lose its brightness, don’t touch a plant or it will wilt – persist today in many countries and range from harmless to extreme, including banishment from the family home to an outdoor shed during each cycle.

Barbara Frost, Chief Executive of WaterAid, said: “It’s time for all of us to start talking about periods and bring an end to the stigma that still surrounds menstruation. Taboos surrounding periods can take a heavy toll on the health of girls and women in the developing world. 

 

"Without decent toilets or washing facilities, girls’ health is put at risk and they are likely to drop out of school rather than face the humiliation of finding somewhere private to change. By talking about periods, we can help normalise this natural process and help girls and women live healthier and more dignified lives.”

     Lydia, 16, pictured is a student in Kampala, Uganda at a school in Kifumbira slum which has four latrines for more than 2,000 students. She does not attend school during her period, and fears missing lessons will affect her wish to become a doctor:

“The problems I face – we are sharing the toilets with the boys and we fear when we go to the toilets that the boys will be in there. And so we don’t go to school when we have our periods. Some toilets don’t have doors and so we fear to enter, as people can see or enter the toilets at any time. At the toilets they don’t have water to flush or wash, and so it’s complicated to attend school when I have my period.”

 

WaterAid works in more than a dozen countries across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia to teach women and their families how to care for themselves properly during their periods. School projects range from building private, gender-separate toilets and taps for washing to creating hygiene clubs where girls learn how to sew washable, reusable sanitary towels.