PERIOD SHAME: DEAR AFRICAN GIRL CHILD WHY WERE WE TAUGHT TO HIDE OUR PERIODS?
Last week I posted a childhood memory concerning my first time experience of menstruation and the funny mini tutorial I got on how to use a tampon ( which obviously did not go well) .
But today the menstruation or period topic made me reflect on something serious, an issue that is off concern to many girls and women in Africa. Have you ever heard of anything such as period shame?
After reading an article titled Period shame, misinformation linked to serious human rights written by the United Nations populations fund, the article got me doing some serious thinking about Period shame.
What exactly is period shame?
According to UNFPA period shame is stigma and misinformation surrounding menstruation which contributes to serious human rights concerns for women and girls
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| pic @ MuslimGirlLife |
As an African woman I have been privileged enough not to through "period shame" I have not endured any cultural taboos or religious taboos associated with being on my period.
But what about the African girl child who is not allowed to touch water or cook, attend religious ceremonies, or engage in community activities just because she is in her period? It is very absurd that women or girls are considered unclean when having there periods. Such taboos promote gender based discrimination and eliminate girls and women from the society they live in.
Dear African Girl child why were we taught to hide our periods? the answer is simple and its because periods have always been regarded unclean.
If periods are regarded unclean then why were women created to have periods?
I remember a personal story my cousin narrated to me, it happened that my cousin was brushing our grandma's hair and my cousin secretly told granny that she had started her period for the first time, my grandmother immediately took the hair brush from my cousin and told her that it is a taboo for a girl in her period to comb or touch another women's hair as this could lead to permanent hair loss.
"In many communities – the onset of menstruation – is associated with readiness for marriage. Child marriage increases the risk of adolescent pregnancy and other outcomes that undermine girls’ human rights." UNFPA
pic @the fertile chick
Letter to the African girl child
Dear African Girl Child
LISTEN TO ME LOUD AND CLEAR, NEVER EVER BE ASHAMED OF BEING IN YOUR PERIOD.
Your period is the most beautiful girl/woman experience you have been gifted with.
Love and Value it forever
You do not need to explain yourself to any men, to any cultural practice or any religious practice for being on your period
LOVE YOURSELF AFRICAN GIRL CHILD
for more information on period shaming read:
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ReplyDelete"ngwana wa mosetsana Ga a tlhape bosigo ka gore O tlaa bona setswalo" translated, "a girl child should not bath at night because they might experience menstruation" that presented menstruation as a bad thing and definitely if a child experience it for the first time they'd be ashamed and scared because they're now experiencing the very thing they were warned of.
ReplyDeleteI wish this article could reach as many young ladies who're ashamed of their periods. Just to let them know that it's not a bad thing, and it's far from being a bad thing.
thank you for reminding me of that setswana taboo, true in the African culture we have many taboos and honestly i dont think those who set those taboos want to cause any harm to the girl child but because of lack of knowledge they end not realizing that such stigma and taboos cause gender discrimination.
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