BY: BIRENDRA
‘Menstruation’, as normal as it seems, it is more stigmatized and viewed as a form of impurity mainly determined by cultural influence, societies’ standing on its norms and values. A person spends about 3000 days menstruating throughout her whole lifetime which is equal to approximately 7-10 years on average. Being in the 21st century today, aren’t we running late to stop stigmatizing and start making it dignified?
Technology to the date is rapidly growing and has continued to build and advance. We can see pervasive artificial intelligence, the spacecrafts exploring the outside of our planet. We, humans having this capability to turn every imagination into reality through new innovation; where did we lack to make menstruation remain under the dark shade of cloud of shame and impurity?
In every health book we read, menstruation is defined as the biological process in reproductive age woman of discharging blood and cellular debris from the lining of uterus at intervals of about one month from puberty until the menopause, except during pregnancy. These definitions reflect that period is a natural process, has only been limited on the pages since myths existing in our societies tend to win over the realities. We are often told that we are very rich in cultures and traditions, but now I often question whether cultural pride only limit in preservation or our own willingness to evolve.
Me being a 23-year-old, a public health enthusiast and a health educator conducting many sessions on menstruation, I’m still restricted by society to talk it loud; even inside my own home and on the top of that, I’m a boy. I have seen my mom and my sister being prohibited from entering the kitchen, participate in social gatherings and worshipping gods during their period of menstruation. I have seen my sister cry once because she couldn’t put tika during Dashain. I was taught by the social construct that blood that creates a new life is impure. I used to wonder why, ask myself hundreds of questions regarding why her 7 days can’t be same as other days. I have been helpless even if I was willing to, and for that I somehow regret today. For the times I have asked my sister about sanitary pads when I was just 10 years, I was always told to shut my mouth and it wasn’t my concern. I was never answered nor have seen such rules mentioned in religious books. And even if it did, didn’t female goddesses ever menstruate? Now I stand, and I understand that it should always be my concern to talk about menstruation, to nurture it into dignity and safety since it’s not just a women’s issue but a human issue.
The societal taboos don’t end here. People in rural areas do not have access to menstrual products as economic barriers persist leading to poor menstrual hygiene and reproductive health problems. Most of them tend to use cloth and reuse it without drying it in the sunlight hiding from their husbands and in-laws. Adolescent girls tend to skip classes during menstruation because of poorly maintained washroom and a lack of privacy. While we move deeper into rural areas of our country, Chhaupadi pratha still exists, posing threat to menstruator every few days a month. And when we talk about this, shedding blood isn’t just about shame anymore; it’s about life and death. Here in cities like Kathmandu, we promote using menstrual cups for sustainability, but people struggle to survive during their stay in Chhau Goth and don’t even have access to clean and hygienic cloth. We can see the different realities in the same process. When we have to fight for accessibility and affordability, menstrual products like sanitary pads, tampons and cups, they all seem like a distant privileges and luxury.
It is never too late than never. If our human minds are capable enough to make technology be carried in our pocket, I believe we are smart enough to see menstruation as a crucial part of human health rather than a source of impurity. Men shouldn’t stay adapting to cultural silence anymore but help transform the dark shadow to sunlight. As a son, brother and a public health student, I choose to be an informed human, a voice for the voiceless and a changemaker initiating change from home and widening it to the community as a whole.