For many females around the world, periods remain a huge taboo. In India, many temples don’t permit women incase they’re on their period and it can have a detrimental impact on women’s education and work too; in India a quarterof girls drop out of school once they start menstruating and in Sierra Leone21.3% of girls say that they don't go to school when on their period in case they leak.
*'This is my mother and sister in the picture. Here, my mother is feeding my sister with so much of love. Mother loves me very much as well. However, during my menstruation cycle I am kept separately and have to eat at distance. When nobody touches me, I feel unloved. We need lots of love and support during our menstruation but, when I am separated and treated like an untouchable I feel no love from my mother and father and I feel only hatred. I feel sad being treated that way.' *Taken by Bandana Khadka.
Access to adequate sanitary products are a huge issue too: it’s thought that 88% of girls in india wash and reuse cotton cloth instead of using disposable pads, but as this is often done without soap or clean water, it’s unhygienic and dangerous. and 70% of all reproductive diseases in India are believe to be caused by poor menstrual hygiene.
In aid of Menstrual Hygiene day last weekend, WaterAid asked seven teenage girls from Sindhuli, Nepal, to take pictures showing what it was like for them to have their period and the restrictions put on them during that time, as a way to faciliate a conversation around the 'taboo'. It was the first time the girls had ever used a camera. WaterAid are working in schools and communities in the country to help girls manage their periods and tackle the stigma surrounding it.
*'This is a small irrigation canal in our village. It flows water regularly. In this irrigation canal, people wash their dishes and also wash clothes and menstruation pads. People also throw rubbish in this canal. This water flows to down village and they also use this water for taking bath and washing vegetables. While using water in this way, the water may look clear but it could cause many water borne diseases.' *Taken by Bisheshta Bhandari.
In Nepal, a menstruating woman is considered ‘impure’ or ‘contaminated’ and they’re forbidden from eating with their family, touching flowers, fruit or male relatives, looking in the mirror, looking at the sun and even staying in their own home.
'I had gone to collect grass and firewood when I had my first menstruation. I clicked this picture to recollect that particular memory of mine. I never knew menstruation was about bleeding. So, when I started bleeding for the first time I got very scared and terrified. There was no one to help me out, I didn’t know how to use pads and I had hard time coping up with the changes I had within me. That’s why I try to help younger girls who seem as confused as me when I had my first menstruation. I tell them to focus on cleanliness and hygiene.' Taken by Rabina Budhathoki.
One girl Mannish, 14, spoke of the experience of her first period. ‘I stayed at someone else’s house during my first period. I wasn’t allowed to go to school and, on top of that, I wasn’t allowed to even read a book. It was a wrong belief that we shouldn’t study during menstruation.'
*'This is the picture of mirror and comb that I use at my house. In our society, when girls experience their first menstruation we are not allowed to look into mirrors or comb our hair. And I think that is the wrong belief that we have in our society. Me and my family do not follow such practice. But, I have many friends whose families are really strict about these practices and as a result, most of my friends were not allowed to look themselves in the mirrors and comb their hair. I think mirrors and combs are the means of cleanliness and as a human it’s very important that you should stay clean and healthy. Only if my friends just like me could grow in an environment where are no limitations regarding menstruation and receive more support from the families, they can set themselves free and explore greater potential and opportunities around them is what I think.' *Taken by Sushma Diyali.
According to the Independent, this tradition of exclusion is called 'Chhaupadi' and it’s common for girls to be excluded from their family for 6-10 day. They're also not allowed to eat meat, dairy, fruit or vegetables for fear that it will ruin the produce, instead they eat rice, salt and dry foods. Although Chhaupadi was outlawed in 2005, it is still practiced in many rural communities.
'This is the girl’s toilet of our school. We are in urgent need of MHM friendly toilet. The one we use doesn’t lock properly. If someone is inside, other person has to wait outside pushing the door for her. Because of lack of latrines in our school, we have to wait in the long line. This is very problematic for us and we are need of more girls’ friendly latrines.' Taken by Sushma Diyali.
For many, that 'time of the month' means far more than just uncomfortable cramps: it means isolation, exclusion and the struggle of caring for themselves in a hygienic way when sanitary resources are so lacking. In today's world, this shouldn't be an ongoing issue and it's clear that campaigns such as these are vital in higlighting the importance of education and proper hygiene measures when it comes to menstruation in other areas of the world.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.