‘Let’s address period shame’

Nurfatihah: It is important to equip young girls with knowledge of how to take care of themselves at an early age.

TALKING openly about menstruation was the norm at the all-girls’ secondary school I attended while growing up.

I could shout across the hallway or in class to ask whether any of my friends had a menstrual pad without a care in the world.

But an incident in Kashmir, and my foundation year, both made me realise the privilege I had of growing up in a safe space where discussing menstruation was encouraged, and buying menstrual pads was not something that women should be ashamed of.

In Kashmir, a region my mother and I visited several years ago, there is a high rate of period poverty, which is a lack of access to menstrual hygiene products and education.

On my second day there, we were making a trip to the mountains at Sonamarg when I had my period.

According to the menstruation calendar downloaded on my phone, I would not get my period for another two weeks. Hence, I was taken by surprise.

Although I packed menstrual pads for my trip, unfortunately, I did not bring any of them along during my excursion to the mountains.

I had an uneasy one-hour ride in the van, where I felt pain in my lower abdomen.

As we arrived at a village, I quickly looked for a shop or a small convenience store that sold personal hygiene items.

My attempt came to nothing despite having gone to several stores around the neighbourhood.

During my hunt, the local shopkeepers, who were mostly men, looked at me in confusion when I asked if they sold any pads.

As they did not speak English, I tried my best conversing to them in Kashmiri. Even so, most of them did not seem to be aware of the use of menstrual pads.

Tired of walking around, I eventually asked a few female tourists from other countries if they had any but I was out of luck.

Kashmir is a small region and as there is a territorial conflict over it, there were not many tourists around.

My initial confusion and frustration turned into burning curiosity as I wondered how the local women managed their menstruation.

I got my answer when my group’s tourist adviser brought us to a housing area near a river, where I could get a glimpse into the women’s daily activities.

As they were washing their clothes by the river, I struck up casual conversation with them and discovered that the Kashmiris used cloth during menstruation, which was why they did not sell any menstrual pads. I was 18 at the time and was quite puzzled by the information.

The first thought that came to my mind was, isn’t it unhygienic? That was before I learned about sustainability in university.

I soon learnt that in some cultures, using cloth to manage a period is quite normal, but growing up in a country where the use of menstrual pads is the norm, the transition I had to make there was rather awkward and uncomfortable.

The other experience that ran contrary to that of my early years was the sense of shame I felt whenever I had to ask my friends for pads during my foundation year.

As I was in a co-ed university, I was afraid that the boys around us would overhear my requests, so I would whisper to my friends instead. They too would do the same.

But now that I am reaching the end of my undergraduate years, I no longer feel unsafe to talk about it. Most of my male peers are mature enough to have a discussion on menstruation.

I believe what bridges the gender gap is engaging in conversations, be it in a class setting, during lunchtime talks, or even during open-mic events. It is crucial to talk about it, instead of keeping quiet.

Leaders at every level can do more to stop period shame. Awareness should start at an early age, similar to how I was introduced to menstrual education at the age of 10 when a feminine hygiene brand conducted a campaign in my school.

I learned how to manage my period for the first time with the help of that campaign. My mother also helped me. She encouraged me to bring to school a small travel bag filled with essential items such as underwear, sanitary pads, recyclable paper, tissues and handwash.

It is important to equip young girls with knowledge of how to take care of themselves at an early age.

Early in April, in conjunction with International Women’s Day, the student union at my university launched the Period Poverty Movement called the “Moontime Project”, where sanitary pads were provided in female toilets all over campus for free.

Such causes should be promoted more in education institutions to raise awareness of menstrual health and hygiene.

With everyone’s effort, we will be able to tackle period shame and at the same time safeguard the welfare of girls and women.

Nurfatihah, 22, a student in Kuala Lumpur, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. To join Star-NiE’s online youth community, go to facebook.com/niebrats.

Now that you have read the article, test your understanding by carrying out the following English language activities.

1. Form groups of five. Start a story chain by having each member contribute one sentence after another to create a story. The story should include these words: period, menses, menstruation, menstrual pad, sanitary pad. Conclude the story with a moral lesson. You should take not more than five minutes to complete this activity.

2. If you were to organise a menstrual awareness campaign, what is one activity you would have participants do? Discuss with your friends.

The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme promotes the use of English language in primary and secondary schools nationwide. For Star-NiE enquiries, email [e-mail].