In celebrating menstrual hygiene day 2023, which took place on May 28, Pa Chimassa Memorial Foundation (PACMEF) partnered with other Organizations to education adolescent girls and boys about menstrual hygiene and distribute free paths.
With the theme; “Making Menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030”, Pa Chimassa Memorial Foundation (PACMEF), and partners, educated the participants about menstrual hygiene management, killing stigmatization mindset, building a mindset of getting everyone involve in the aspect of menstruation and letting them know it’s not an aspect of face covering when you are on your period or seen someone is but rather, pride up, clean up because that’s proof of womanhood.
Stigma, poverty and lack of access to basic services such as toilets and water lead to unmet need for hygiene and menstrual health, and increase the risk of infection for women. and girls, UNICEF warns ahead of Menstrual Hygiene Day. These challenges are especially acute for the poorest, ethnic groups, refugees and people with disabilities.
“Menstrual health and hygiene management, when available to all, can help dismantle barriers and support adolescent girls to become healthy, educated, and empowered women,” said Kelly Ann Naylor, UNICEF Director of Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) and Climate, Environment, Energy, and Disaster Risk Reduction (CEED). “Yet, until recently, little attention has been paid to defining, monitoring, and investing in menstrual health.”
The importance of hygiene management and menstrual health is gradually being recognized and monitored. In 2020, 42 countries have nationally representative data on at least one of the four indicators*, of which 31 have information on at least three. Almost half of the countries are located in sub-Saharan Africa. No high-income country has national data on any of the indicators.
“Menstrual hygiene should not only be known to women, but it is a cause that must involve both men and women. So any man who thinks menstrual hygiene is a woman’s job should get involved,” said Spencer T. Teke, Program and Executive Director of PACMEF.
According to the latest analysis, restrictions on participation in school, work and social activities during menstruation vary by geographic, socioeconomic and individual characteristics. Among those withheld, stigma and lack of access to menstrual hygiene products were common factors. Many girls are also unaware of their period before their first period, which can affect their perception and understanding of menstruation.
• On average, non-participation rates are higher among girls and young women:
15% girls in Burkina Faso; 20% in Ivory Coast; and 23% in Nigeria had missed school in the last 12 months because of their period.
• More than half of women in Bangladesh and more than two-thirds in Nepal report that they do not participate in daily activities during menstruation. In Chad and the Central African Republic, one in three people say they are missing out on something.
• Of the two countries for which national data are available, only 32% and 66% of girls know their period before their first period in Bangladesh and Egypt. In Egypt, 74% of girls who didn’t know felt shocked, scared or cried at the first event. Similarly, in Bangladesh, 69% are afraid.
The use of menstrual materials and the availability of a private place to shower and change were high in most of the reported countries. However, the most vulnerable women and girls continue to face major challenges.
• Use of menstrual materials ranges from 81% to common in most countries. However, 6% of women use paper in Niger; 12% used underwear only in Burkina Faso; 11% don’t use anything in Ethiopia.
• Availability of a private place to shower and change ranges from 80-99% in most countries for which data is available. However, in Niger, Tunisia and Burkina Faso, only 52%, 56% and 74% respectively have such space. • There is little difference in tampon use between urban and rural areas, except in Lao PDR, Ethiopia and Niger, where rural tampon use is 10% higher than in rural areas. urban versus rural.
• However, private facilities are less available in rural areas than in urban areas. In the 12 countries for which data is available, at least 1 in 10 women and girls in rural areas do not have a private place to shower and change during their last menstrual period.
Ethnic minority groups and those living in emergency situations face even greater challenges, with limited access to menstrual products and basic facilities and many limitations. participation than the rest of the population.
• In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, there is a gap of more than 30% between Mon-Khmer and Lao-Tai in terms of having separate places to wash, change clothes and use menstrual materials. In the Central African Republic, Hausa women participate in the daily life of their period about 20% more than Mboum women. • Data from refugee camps in eight countries show varying degrees of satisfaction. Almost all women said they were satisfied with menstrual equipment and facilities in Mozambique and Iraq, compared with less than half of women in refugee camps in Cameroon, Malawi and South Sudan. “Investment in menstrual hygiene management will benefit girls today, the women they will become tomorrow, and the next generation,” added Naylor.
