In rural India, menstruation is embedded as taboo. Due to superstitions and religious beliefs, menstruation is considered dirty and impure. Because of this, menstruation is surrounded by a culture of embarrassment and shame. Women are often expected to follow a set of restrictions during their periods, such as not going to the temple or offering prayers, not entering the kitchen, and touching foods.
Menstruation is not openly talked about in families or front of friends. It is known that over half of girls don’t know about menstruation when they get their first periods. Their mothers are too ashamed to talk about it due to a lack of knowledge in the scientific explanation of menstruation and some important ways of managing it. The issue is rarely discussed in schools, and teachers themselves feel awkward teaching, perpetuating an environment of shame.
Lack of knowledge about menstruation
According to science and the World Health Organization, girls between 13 to 15 reach puberty. Information on menstruation and hygiene should be taught in schools. So that girls are aware of the process and know how to take care of themselves while menstruating. On the other hand, some girls or women are entirely unaware of this natural biological process, Due to shame and hesitation.
“Girls from the rural communities need proper guidance on such issues about menstruation. Menstrual hygiene is very important, but we do not have any scheme through which we can educate the women from these communities. Nor do they have any idea of the resources and skills to benefit themselves.”
Awareness regarding menstrual hygiene
A brief cross-sectional study was conducted in a school in Chitwan among girl students of the school from grades 8-10 from 2019 July to August 2019 after ethical approval. All the girls from grades 8-10 were included in the study.
Among 184 adolescent girls, 156 (84.8%) were aware of menstrual hygiene, and most of them, 176 (95.7%) knew about the ideal absorbent products to be used during menstruation. Likewise, 120 (65.2%) were aware of washing the genital organs to prevent infections. Though 137 (74.5%) were changing sanitary pads and 136 (73.9%) were disposing of used sanitary pads and changing them 2-3 times a day.
In Rural India, Menstruation is taboo.
