Medically, menstruation (also termed period or bleeding) is the process in a woman of discharging (through the vagina) blood and other materials from the lining of the uterus at about one monthly interval from puberty until menopause (ceasing of regular menstrual cycles), except during pregnancy. This discharging process lasts about 3-5 days.
Cultural Stigma of Menstruation
An underlying silence, stigma, hesitation and taboo exists world over with respect to menstruation.
Women and especially young girls face the burden of this unspoken issue to the core which has been a result of lack of awareness, knowledge and sensitization of the issues pertaining to their body, menstrual hygiene, management, puberty and maternal health.
In India, menstruation is considered as a social-cultural taboo which is being universally observed among the diverse sub cultures, religions, states residing in the country.
Common period taboos include the idea that women are impure, dirty, or sinful while they're menstruating.
Some women are discouraged from touching or washing their genitals during their periods to eliminate the possibility that they might contaminate the water of a communal bathing area.
Patriarchy plays a pivotal role in restricting or changing practices and perceptions about women’s reproductive rights, and sexuality rights.
The stigma finds its roots in the notion of purity and pollution attached historically to menstruation. This was explained exceptionally by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud in Indian Young Lawyers Association v. The State of Kerala (2018)
He reasoned that any social practice which excludes women from participation in public life as a result of their menstruation is discriminatory on the ground of their sex.
This is because it is drawn from the notion of menstruating women being “impure”, a notion which targets the physiological feature of being women.
Challenges
Violation of article 14: Menstruation discriminates women on the basis of gender. It is against the notion of substantive equality adopted by the Constitution.
Violation of Right to Privacy: The conduct of the authorities, in college, amounts to a violation of the Right to Privacy which is an integral component of the ‘Right to life and personal liberty’ guaranteed under article 21.
Violation of right to freedom: Restrictions of movement imposed on these students are one of the many attempts of state and non-state actors to take control of their person.
It perpetuates female subordination.
For instance, creating embarrassment and humiliation around menstruation and regulating social exclusion and taboos to exclude and marginalize women during their period
Due to embarrassment, shame, hesitation the young girls are susceptible to serious health hazards.
They are exposed to unhygienic methods and unsanitary materials such as the use of dirty rags, dried leaves, newspapers, ash to prevent the flow of menstrual blood.
As per the WHO statistics it has accounted to 27% of world’s cervical cancer deaths- the incidence rate almost twice to the global average rate.
The social stigma is coupled with lack or no access to basic amenities, clean toilets, waste disposal mechanism, lack of communication from teachers, families to orient and aid young girls about the changes that advent in their body, the result - a huge drop out rate is observed in India from school.
Statistics related menstruation in India
70% of all reproductive diseases in India are caused by poor menstrual hygiene & affects maternal mortality.
23 % of girls in India leave school when they start menstruating.
Only 12% Menstruating Women use sanitary
Menstruation Hygiene Scheme
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has introduced a scheme for promotion of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in the age group of 10-19 year in rural areas.
The major objectives of the scheme are:
To increase awareness among adolescent girls on Menstrual Hygiene
To increase access to and use of high quality sanitary napkins to adolescent girls in rural areas.
To ensure safe disposal of Sanitary Napkins in an environmentally friendly manner.
Future Actions
Awareness Campaign:Government should spread awareness among its citizens regarding the social exclusion of women on the basis of their menstrual status through various mediums :
putting up posters at public places,
including it in the school curriculum,
using audiovisual mediums like radio, entertainment/news channels, short films etc;
Sensitization: Sensitization of health workers, Accredited Social Health Activists and Anganwadi Workers regarding menstruation biology must also be done
Inclusion of the issue of social exclusion of women on the basis of their menstrual status in all existing campaigns/schemes that aims at menstrual hygiene
Prohibition of all educational institutions, hostels, and living spaces for women from following social exclusion of women on the basis of their menstrual status in any manner;
Undertaking surprise checks
Imposition of an appropriate penalty against the erring institution.
Conclusion
It is high time that we understood that Menstruation is a human issue and not only a women’s issue.
People need to know and understand that it is a normal physiological function of womanhood.
