Having her first period was a traumatic experience for 12-year-old Aini Abdullah. Although her mother had discussed menstruation with her so that she knew what to expect and do, it didn’t lessen the stigma and bullying that she went through.
Her school uniform was soiled and she was teased and made fun of by some boys in her school who said hurtful things to her including: “you’re unclean”, “so disgusting”, and “ugh, you have to wear ‘nappies’ now”.
Period shaming – which refers to the stigma and discrimination faced by people who menstruate – makes girls and women embarrassed when they’re menstruating, when in actual fact, it's a natural bodily function, says Universiti Malaya Feminism Club (UMFC) president Chin Jes Weng.
This affects them not just emotionally, but physically and socially too. Some girls don’t attend PE classes, skip school or drop out totally, just to avoid being shamed or bullied by their male classmates, says Chin.
The club recently held an exhibition to create awareness about menstruation among the general public and to shed light on period shame, period myths, period poverty and other period-related medical facts.
Period poverty, according to All Women Action Society (Awam)’s deputy president Dr May Ng, is the lack of access to safe and hygienic menstrual products during monthly periods, menstrual hygiene education, and basic sanitation services and facilities. "Haid, Jangan Hide" (Don't hide when menstruating) is a programme Awam launched to address period poverty in Malaysia.
Ng reveals that not many people are aware that there are communities where girls and women can’t afford to buy sanitary pads.
“It’s expensive, especially for those from poor families, or are day workers who just earn a basic income. As a result, some of these schoolgirls don’t go to school when they’re menstruating,” she says.
This eventually creates a gender imbalance because the boys end up going to school regularly while girls skip school during their periods.
A local study conducted by Kotex Malaysia reveals that 50% of Malaysian girls wish they could be absent from school when menstruating. Additionally, 50% of Malaysian girls lack self-confidence and don’t feel good about themselves when they’re having their period.
According to Kimberley-Clark Malaysia’s managing director Lim Yu Chien, this is because periods are “still stigmatised and treated as taboo when students don’t have the correct information about menstruation”.
The company has produced two educational videos on period management and sexual reproductive health which will be aired in national schools.
A team of medical experts, educators, and women NGO personnel were consulted for the development of the videos to ensure they’re accurate and relevant, while taking into account Malaysia’s cultural and societal nuances, says Lim.
