I’m really proud and honoured to be supporting the @thecirclengo #menstruationmatters event on the 30th May on #menstrualhygieneday to help raise awareness of why menstruation is important, not just as a sign of health, but also as a social and political barometer of how a country values and treats its female population.
In many cultures, menstruation is not talked about. It can be seen as dirty or impure and the silence around it can lead to a lack of knowledge, which can generate damaging misconceptions.
In a recent study involving nearly 100,000 girls in India, almost half of them did not know about menstruation until the first time they got their period. Many girls think that they are dying or have a horrible disease the first time they menstruate, as the pain and blood causes confusion and worry.
But menstruation is a healthy and normal part of most women’s lives. On average, we spend 3,000 days in our lifetime menstruating. Roughly half the female population (that’s around 26% of the total population) are of a reproductive age and the majority spend between 2 – 7 days menstruating each month.
Menstruation matters to education:When schools have the right facilities and education materials – they can help girls manage their menstruation with pride and dignity, and contribute to better education, gender equality and health outcomes.
MENstruation matters to boys and men too: Taboos are created by the whole of society – in order to break the silence around menstrual hygiene, we need boys and men to also start speaking about periods.
Menstruation matters to health: many girls and women can’t afford sanitary napkins or cloths and often rely on unsafe materials, like newspaper, that can cause infection. In some cases, the cloth might be adequate but there are no facilities to keep the cloth clean enough to reuse it.
Menstruation matters for progress: improving menstrual hygiene can have a profound effect on girls and women, as it can help unlock progress related to health, education and gender equality.
Come and join us on the 30th May and get your ticket here Event link here.