In honor of World Menstrual Hygiene Day, Regina Afanwi Young shares how we can break taboos around menstruation and support girls with the resources they need.
Talking about menstruation has always been a difficult task in my community. Most women were never educated about menstruation and do not feel comfortable passing on knowledge to their girl children. Girls who start menstruation at the age of 10 try hiding it from their parents by using tissues and pieces of cloth to pad themselves. If girls happen to soil themselves in school, they become an object of mockery, gossip, and even isolation.
Our collective responsibility is to make sure that young girls have the right information about their bodies and safe spaces to address their concerns before their first periods.
Regina Afanwi Young
In most households, it is the mother’s responsibility to provide menstrual hygiene kits to girls. Many of these mothers are not allowed to work outside the home and struggle to provide these kits. Imagine raising an all-girl household; mothers sometimes pray their children do not grow up to menstruation age, as buying sanitary pads is such a financial burden…
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