Kathmandu, Nepal, 28 May 2021 – Today, on Menstrual Hygiene Day, JCYCN and National Coalition for Girls Rights (NCGR) with the support of Kanallan jointly conducted an interactive programnme in collaboration with National Youth Council Government of Nepal (NYC), National Child Friendly Local Governance (N-CFLG) forum, Social Protection Civil Society Network (SPCSN) on the theme “Role of Stakeholders in menstrual hygiene management in schools and community”. More than 200 participants included representatives from respective networks and alliances from all 7 provinces and 77 provinces along with peer educators, adolescents’ school students, teachers and parents for discussions. The virtual event was chaired by President of JCYCN, Mr. Tilottam Paudel and facilitated by Ms. Shraddha Verma which discussed the broad array of menstrual hygiene management in the schools and communities to adolescent and adults.
The Chief guest of the programme Hon. Lily Thapa, Member of National Human Rights Commission said, “I am happy to see the transformation of girls as they are openly talking about periods today” as she compares her times of menstruation than of today. To normalize the menstruation issues more in our society, she put high emphasis on the organizations and civilians to focus on three things: need of research and scientific based evidence to educate people on combating menstruation myths in Nepali society; secondly the need of family involvement to reduce menstrual stigmas and taboos as changes starts at home and third menstruation should be celebrated in dignified way. For these changes to happen, she appeals policy makers to start collective advocacy from the grassroots level.
Speaking at the event, the guest speaker, Mr. Madhav Dhungel, the Executive Vice-Chairperson of National Youth Council Government of Nepal (NYC) focused on starting open and honest conversation with the family and community as the key factor in generating awareness on the myth of menstruation. According to him, Nepali society lacks awareness as people don’t want to talk openly about menstruation. He underlined the clarion call for the need to take deliberate and concrete action, to eradicate the stigma and negative conceptions around menstrual hygiene, and provide girls with equal opportunity to maximize their potential at all levels, including families, schools and communities. As a civil servant, he commits, and calls upon the network and alliances working on girl’s rights issues to start a movement by including technical experts in spreading in-depth knowledge of menstruation and its taboos. He also points out more government role in advocacy on the availability of sanitary pads in schools and tax cuts mechanism in pads for affordability for girls and women.
Likewise, another guest speaker Mr. Milan Dharel, Executive Director of National Child Rights Council (NCRC ) rightly pointed out that the concept of Chauupadi is relevant even in urban settings today in the form of separate rooms with attached bathrooms. Further he said, “National Youth Council is preparing Child Rights Policy 2078 which will address the stigma of the menstruation myth by focusing on eradication of Distinction, Exclusion and Restriction in our society. Changes don’t come overnight hence educating the people with the right mindset is the key.”
Ms. Priyanka Budhathoki, co-creator of the podcast “Periods kaa Kura”, the Resource Person started the event by educating the audience on the existence of biological menstruation in the gender “transmen”. She underlined that the need for hygiene management should start at home which should be extended to communities and societies. As per Ms. Budhathoki, hygiene management does not mean staying in a separate room “Chaupadi” but is taking regular baths thus cleaning the vagina. She reminds the audience to stock sanitary pads during lockdown as menstruation does not stop even at pandemic so girls and women have to take care of themselves from vaginal infections.
Rejina Gharti Magar, the president of the first child club in Nepal and peer educator of JCYCN shared her surreal experience of lying to her mother and celebrating the festival with her family. She quotes, “I did not create any sin, and it’s my right to celebrate the festival”. Likewise, Srijana Shahi of Province 7 said “Menstruation is not a disease” who is working to create awareness in her community.
The programme included voices of all seven province representatives. Participants like Rita Mahato from Lahan shared her experience, “My mother in-law limited my activities saying it is an immoral act, a transgression against divine law. But I proved my mother-in-law wrong by doing activities that she didn’t let me do during my periods and of course not getting any sin.” The participants also appealed to the stakeholders on the advocacy needed for affordable prices of the sanitary pads by cutting down taxes.
JCYCN had also organized a contest on facebook requesting adolescent girls to post poems and stories on the theme “My first menstruation..”. Winners were announced by Ms. Debaki Acharya, a member of Pragya Pratisthan Gandaki Pradesh. First position was bagged by Ms. Barsha Regmi from Lumbini province, second position by Ms. Sadikshya Ghimire from Gandaki province and third position from Yagyashwori Bogati from Sudurpaschim. The winners also recited their winning poems and shared their experiences. Hence, the programme was concluded with closing remarks by Mr. Deepak Sharma, General Secretary where he emphasized the involvement of men and boys in the girls rights issue.
