The shedding of an
unpregnant womb! What does it mean to
us women in UK?
Messy. Heightened
sensitivity. Vulnerability. Excuse for chocolate. ‘Red tent’ luxury. Acceptance
of that ‘delicate’ place. Pain. Need for
holding. Emotional support. Acceptance and comfort by our partners. Sex without
babies. A need for nice toilets. Emotional needs left sometimes wanting.
Slightest upset could reduce us to tears. A quieter day at the office.
Then take this to a developing country...imagine how our
needs will find themselves far down the list of importance for those women. What’s
likely to be nearer the top?
For some women in Nepal, menstruation will be linked with
Chaupadi. Banished to sheds. Not eating off the same plates as family. Not
eating enough. No access to the water tap. Isolation. Snake bite and
hypothermia. Untouchable and unclean, but also rape by inebriated men if found sleeping
alone.
Menstruation is seen as taboo. Nobody talks about it. In
2003, the Nepal supreme law stated Chaupadi was discriminatory and a violation
of women’s rights. Despite this law now being in place, the practice is still
widely occurring in many rural areas. In urban areas, there is the different
problem of washing and drying the protective cloths used. Because of the taboo,
drying in public can be difficult. So privacy is at the expense of personal hygiene,
and also clean and germ-free materials. Young girls will miss school rather
than have the challenges that face them when they’re bleeding. They’ll seek
isolated places to pee, rather than use unisex toilets, and rapists know this.
Unsafe materials are often used to stem the blood flow.
There is a distinct lack
of health, education, dignity and gender equality. Women in Nepal still have
little control over household expenses. Young girls have limited knowledge.
More often taboos are passed on before, and instead of, good health information.
So, why do women bleed?
The lining of the uterus sheds to provide a brand new bed
for any future baby. We bleed to make our wombs ready for growing a baby. We
can’t have babies if we don’t bleed.
End of.
It’s not dirty. It’s not harmful. It’s not infectious. It’s
what we do.
Samjhana Phuyal, an inspirational woman I met a couple of
years ago while supporting White Ribbon Alliance (
http://whiteribbonalliance.org/)
has, amongst other worthy causes, funded the start-up of a business making and
selling re-usable sanitary pads
(http://www.seew.org.np/) Women sell pads to women. Information
regarding menstrual hygiene is shared, and respect for this natural monthly
process is increased.
Each pad costs 100Nr (65p). To be comfy, each woman will
probably want five pads to see her through a period. Washed in soapy water and
dried thoroughly in sunlight, they will only need replacing every two years. There
is nothing to throw away, and no harmful chemical like disposable pads have.
Extra cloth can be used for heavier periods, too. But just as important, hanging
them out with family washing on the line to dry in the sunshine, they are a
statement.
Thankfully, women bleed!
With funds raised by my kind friends, I bought a whole big bag
of pads to give to the APS birth centre in Kalanki. All the women who birth there,
will get pads. The Midwifery Society of Nepal (
http://midson.org.np/)
had samples and leaflets, too. As did another inspirational woman, Ishwori Devi
Shrestha, chief nurse at the Ministry of Health and Population. The villages
supported by PHASE Nepal (
http://phasenepal.org/ ) are recently well informed and have a healthy attitude
towards menstrual hygiene and although remote, do not encourage segregation of
women during periods.
Here are a few links providing further information on
menstrual hygiene and awareness of discriminatory acts.
..and these links, both short film clips, leave little to
the imagination regarding the practical and emotional isolation of Chaupadi.
As before, you may need to use the 'anonymous' option to share your thoughts in a message.
