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By Aaron Tembo
John* a 17-year old young man, who lives in Stoneridge laughs at his niece, Shamiso* and then goes on to tell other young people that she has had her first period and that she has messed up her skirt.
13-year old Shamiso was caught unaware of her menstrual period, but because it happened whilst she was home she quickly remedied the situation. However, she was embarrassed by her uncle, her mother’s brother’s behavior.
John is one of many young men, who involve themselves in period bullying – an inappropriate and shameful behaviour that forces many young women to miss school during their menstrual periods. In addition, other young women also miss school, fail to actively participate in other social activities because of period pain.
The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that girls in rural areas and informal urban communities may not be able to afford sanitary pads and painkillers to alleviate period pain. Many girls feel pain during the first 3 days of their period. They may feel distracted, nauseated, and may not be able to concentrate.
Boys should also be taught to respect their female counterparts. Depriving someone’s dignity just because she is having periods is wrong,” said Mr. Johan Yadyo, of Cedarwood Memorial Trust, an organisation working on a program to distribute reusable sanitary pads in Mashonaland Central.
Girls are also at times denied the opportunity to cook whilst menstruating. A case in point is girls being denied the opportunity to cook while menstruating as it is wrong culturally. Menstrual health challenges have become a major contributor to poor learning performance and poor grades and even to girls dropping out of school.
Menstrual health and the ability of girls to attend school uninterruptedly are interlinked. Menstrual hygiene, care, and management, have compromised many girls’ education. Organisations such as Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), SNV, and Plan international have red-flagged the period poverty issue.
Many poor women and girls cannot afford sanitary pads, forcing them to use such things as rags, leaves, cardboard, newspapers, tissues, socks, leaves, and cow dung. PLAN international noted in their report that males do not view sanitary products as essential items.
A study by SNV Zimbabwe shows that 62% of schoolgirls in Zimbabwe miss school every month due to a lack of sanitary wear; and 70% of these girls are not even aware of any sanitary pad brand on the market.
“Girls around the world are at risk of being left behind. Factors such as poverty, gender discrimination, ethnicity, and geographical location make them invisible to governments and policymakers. We must listen to girls. Because girls count and must be counted,” states Plan International in their report Counting the invisible: Girls’ rights and realities.
Period poverty has worsened the situation for the girl child in Zimbabwe at a time when COVID-19, has led to many girls getting pregnant or eloping due to interruptions caused by lockdowns.
The government through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has a program set to provide disposable sanitary wear, but that as with Civil Society Organisations’ initiatives remain constrained as it does not cover all areas with vulnerable populations.
“Indeed,” notes Yadyo,” there is need for concerted and nationwide efforts to eradicate period poverty.”
UNICEF (Stepping up action, investment in menstrual health & hygiene), notes that: To effect real change, there is urgent need to commit resources to bring about the desired changes in mindsets and provide appropriate sanitary materials and hygiene education to empower millions of women and girls in Zimbabwe who continue to struggle with ‘period poverty.’
*Names have been changed
