The beauty of her blood, labeled vulgar,
What is so unrefined about her crimson?
A Purity check before she dares and stands in the temple
What is so malevolent about her mark of femininity?
Call her capabilities black magic to be kept under the sheets
Marginalize and Stigmatize her body till casted dirty and deviant
How are you so sure, you’re not the one masking her allure?
Time to stop coding what stands to be a natural process and a symbol of her womanhood,
And about time we talk about Periods. All of us.
Menstruation… How dare she?
Menstruation remains to be one of the most tabooed, shunted-off topics of discussion not only in India but the whole world. Mention of menstruation, and we are bombarded with statistics that highlight just how backward India remains in addressing this issue. To establish the gravity of the situation, about less than 20% of menstruating women in India have access to safe, clean sanitary pads. The majority of the population uses fabric, rags, ash, mud, straw, or wood shavings to absorb their menstrual flow, leading to some of the deadliest reproductive tract infections and other diseases in women and girls.
To add to the problems, The stereotypes that barricade women socio-culturally seem to be inescapable. Reports estimate that about 65% of mothers still consider menstruation dirty and promote a shameful and ignorant culture. Many conform to traditional norms such as a girl can’t touch food, step into a temple or kitchen, etc. when she is menstruating.
And the last probably most urgent problem our country faces regarding this issue is lack of awareness. This issue pertains to both men and women.
Many girls still don’t have a complete and accurate understanding of how menstruation works and why it takes place. Moreover, a large portion of boys remains unaware of the existence of periods! This prevents the bridging of gender gaps and bars us from our regressive society.
Addressing the issue in 2022
Period Poverty is not an issue unknown to us. The experience of menstruation has been majorly overlooked by society. Not only is there a need to dive deeper into the phenomenology and methodology of menstruation, but also bring it to those who remain to be cut off from it: The disenfranchised.
While much progress has been made in recent years with studies that allow us to empathize with the multifaceted issue of women and girls, we now need ways to make it accessible to the youth.
While widespread attempts by the UN, the governments of various countries, and policymakers have been made it is important to focus us on our contribution to the issue. As they say, Change begins with us.
The youth is the change.
Recognizing how menstruation continues to be clouded with taboos and other socio-cultural restrictions which have adverse effects on the physical health of adolescent girls and their psyche, The Cogent Community has stepped up and taken the step towards normalizing period talk through their Menstrual Awareness Project. This initiative is an integrated effort of advocacy through workshops and access to safe and hygienic sanitary products through donation drives and other movements. More importantly, the curriculum is inclusive of boys, once again emphasizing that awareness is not gender-specific.
Only in a matter of 2-3 sessions, the Cogent Community looks to educate 7th to 10th graders studying in government schools both in rural and urban areas and contributing their part in making this a more secure world for our youth.
