Periods or menstrual shaming is an issue that almost every girl and woman has faced in life, at some point or the other. To change the narrative and bring about menstrual equity, Child Rights and You (CRY)—the social organisation working across India—has launched a new campaign called ‘Let’s Talk About It! Period!’ The campaign will address taboos around menstruation and help adolescent girls understand periods better, all in order to ensure that girls never feel embarrassed about going through this natural physiological phenomenon. The campaign will begin on September 1.
“Through this initiative, we aim to encourage adolescent girls to openly talk about periods as a normal body function instead of a topic that incites shame and embarrassment; address myths and taboos related to menstruation and shed light on the facts; and inspire a circle of support for adolescent girls, including their family members, male peers, teachers and community allies,” said Puja Marwaha, the CRO of CRY. The campaign will target girls within the age group of 10-17 years, but will also have a secondary target of adolescent boys, family members and community members—basically, the groups of people or prospective allies who are best placed to provide the support every girl child needs.
“Historically, the culture of silence and the social stigma attached to periods have been fuelled by the patriarchal narrative deeply ingrained in our culture and social norms, and is led by girls’ lack of knowledge around menstruation,” Marwaha said. “It is absolutely crucial to demystify myths and raise awareness on menstruation to help young girls especially in underprivileged communities break away from the age old shackles of period shaming so that they can solely focus on taking care of their health, access menstrual hygiene with freedom and live with dignity.”
CRY will also conduct a survey among girls as a part of the campaign to assess their understanding of, knowledge about, attitude towards and practices associated with menstruation. This survey will be conducted among more than 4,000 respondents across eight states, namely West Bengal, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. The campaign will highlight the gaps in menstrual health and hygiene, and celebrate champions of menstrual equity. It will also include the advocacy of menstrual awareness at village, panchayat and ward levels, especially by focusing on access to toilets and the availability of water.