Menstruation - A Society Factor!
By Inikpi R. Salihu, Editor Loretta Enofe-Laurel
They say we learn every day, but there are certain things you would never have imagined you’d hear even as an adult, let more of coming to the terms with the knowledge that it is someone else’s reality somewhere out there in the world.
As a lady, I had never taken the thought of menstrual hygiene seriously nor ever thought it was an issue and a cause of anxiety to any female out there, after all, what’s there? The blood shows up, I get a pad and take my medication for cramps and I am good to go. But is that the case for everyone who has come of age of menstruation?DO YOU KNOW? Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed annually on May 28 (28 / May (5) ) across the globe and was started by WASH United in 2014.May is the 5th month of the year and the average days of menstruation for every woman is 5 days, and it's on the 28th because the average monthly cycle is 28 days.
Menstrual hygiene is a huge issue because it is sad to know that women out there still menstruate into holes and use leaves for pads in this 21st century! Yes, you read that right.
The sad truth is, that so many females out there cannot afford a pack of sanitary pads, and some do not even know how to wear a pad for menstruation.It’s really heartbreaking that many young girls spend the bulk of their teenage lives leaving their menstrual hygiene to chance with no care, no help, and, no sanitary products when they most desperately need them. Much worse, they are preyed on and sexually violated just to have a clean menstrual health.It’s a said fact that most adolescent girls did not even know what it was when they saw blood on their panties for the first time. People are still ashamed to talk about menstruation and the challenges they face during their periods.
These issues are much more prevalent in our immediate environment but we might be blind to them, because who wants to talk about menstruation? It's all Hush! Hush!! Why are you talking about it? That’s dirty! Forgetting that menstruation is a beautiful God given process of creation, for if a woman does not menstruate, she might be incapable of having children.
Now that brings us to the fact that every pre-conception process can be pre-determined except the menstruation itself;that is, sex is optional and taking a decision to start having Children is optional, however, menstruation has never been an option for a female.This is the reason why more and better attention should be paid to these basic human factor especially as many teenage girls and women are under the evil grip of some sordid misconceptions, stories and myths they have heard concerning their menstruation. This year on Menstrual Hygiene Day 2022, observed annually on May 28 all around the world, I have come to the realization that menstruation is more than just yourself as an individual but menstruation is also a society factor as it's a key indicator on the state of wellbeing of women and adolescent girls in every society. Thus we all should be committed and it's captured in the theme for the year:
2022 Menstrual Hygiene Day ThemeTo drive commitment and support for clean menstrual hygiene, you can take action into all or any of the 4 Cardinals to addressing menstrual healthTo create a world where no woman or girl is held back because they menstruate by 2030
#WeAreCommitted
- Information
- Social Support
- Materials e.g. Sanitary products
- Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (Wash) Facilities
#WeAreCommitted