This article was contributed by Anisha Kapri, in support of Promise of a Cycle (POAC). Photos courtesy of POAC.
In Nepal, menstruating women and girls are treated as untouchables. In Kailali and other rural places, a tradition where girls stay inside a shed during their period as they are considered impure known as chaupadi dictates life for girls and women each month.
They are not allowed to enter their homes, go the temples, or attend religious festivals. It is believed that anything a menstruating girl touches (including water and food) along with going to the temples will bring bad luck and make gods angry. The outside shed which is usually a makeshift hut or a cowshed not only makes the girls vulnerable to animal attack and rape but it also puts them into health risk.
This chaupadi tradition, which was made illegal in 2005, is still widely practiced in villages in Nepal. In Kathmandu, girls stay inside their homes yet they are not allowed in the kitchen and temple. Similarly, schools lack proper infrastructure that prevents girls from attending school during menstruation. For example,most schools lack proper bathrooms where a girl can change her sanitary pads. This causes girls to purposely skip school during menstruation.
Menstrual cycle is one of the major barriers to girls’ education in Nepal as it results in girls missing out school. Lack of access to sanitary pads and proper school bathrooms has resulted in girls to skip school during that time of the month. A simple math addition indicates that girls could miss up to fifty days of school in an academic year. Missing fifty days of school in a year will have a tremendous effect in girls’ academic performance which affects their future.
According to UNICEF, the net attendance ratio for girls in secondary schools is 66% — much lower than boys 74.2% attendance record. Girls who are missing out schools hesitate to openly admit that menstruation is one of the reasons for skipping school.
Talking about menstruation is a long standing cultural taboo in Nepalese society which has led to lack of effort to help the girls from from both the government and the society. Moreover, most schools not only lack proper bathrooms but the schools also lack a proper tolerant social environment where girls can talk about menstruation openly. In addition to the social problems, girls also face poor hygiene due to lack of accessibility of proper sanitary kits.
Sanitary pads are not only inaccessible in rural villages in Nepal, but also expensive to buy every month. Even if a store nearby has them, it is difficult for girls to go and buy the pads since girls have the fear of being shamed. When I buy sanitary pads, shopkeepers wrap them in newspapers, handing me back an opaque black plastic bag. Cloth is the most popular alternative to sanitary pads in Nepal.
In August 2016, Promise of a Cycle initiative (POAC) was launched, which provides sanitary pads and raises awareness among school students to end menstrual taboo in Nepal. With the help of Garjan-Nepal, a youth led organization, POAC did a workshop with 9th and 10th high school girls of Saraswati Secondary School, Dhulikhel, Kavre to talk about how menstrual cycle has been a barrier for them. The girls also filled out questionnaires regarding their 1st period and school attendance. They strongly expressed the need for not only extra pads at school but a need for women friendly bathrooms with sink and soaps. The workshop created a safe space for girls to talk about issues that are considered to be taboo. POAC provided reusable sanitary pads to high school girls of Saraswati Secondary School which will enable them to attend classes everyday.
Samita Timalsina, a 9th grader said she leaves the class to go home when she gets her period in school. POAC also provided extra reusable pads to teachers so girls will have access to sanitary pads during emergencies. The sanitary pads are hand-washable and made in Nepal. The pads are made from pul-fabric and cotton. Each kit is estimated to last between 2-3 years.
Being a girl should be a celebration of life as she brings new hope and possibilities. Teaching men, young boys and elderly women the science behind menstrual cycle is a must in order to normalize menstruation and end the taboo. If girls are able to attend school everyday without the menstrual stigma and do everything that boys do, then we are not far from achieving both Global Goals 4 and 5.
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