Damn Blood!
It is something that happens every month. And still, there are few people that talk about ‘it’. It has been called a divine punishment, it is considered as something impure and demeaning for women. In some parts of the world, it is still considered a taboo and no one talks about it.
Actually, it is what allows women to give life: the menstrual cycle.
There’s nothing more natural than the period. However, century after century, it is still considered a ‘women thing’, a ‘punishment’, a ‘fault’. A source for embarrassment, some girls (and even women) still do not know how it properly works and what the sanitary procedures are to protect themselves during the period.
Even in the western world, the ‘free’ world, the menstrual cycle is still a taboo. No one wants to talk about it freely and it is addressed with bad and nonsensical jokes. Moreover, women spend around 18,000£ during their lifetime to buy sanitary towels, tampons, pain reliefs and underwear. Around the world, there are girls and women who do not have the opportunity and money to buy those products.
One example is India, where only in the last years, women have the opportunity to buy low-cost sanitary towels thanks to the invention of one man, Arunachalam Muruganantham. Here you can read his life-changing story: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/22/sanitary-towels-india-cheap-manufacture
Another example is Africa, where some charities and associations have started to give away free pads in the rural villages. Among the many charities, check these out: http://afripads.com/ and http://lunapads.com/pads4girls?geoip_country=US
Furthermore, these associations, and brave women, go in every village to improve the lives of thousands of girls and to inform them about the necessity of sanitary protection and to blow away fear and superstitions about the period.
Still, a lot can be done. It is not women’s fault. It is not a punishment. It is natural. It brings life. It hurts but it is something of which we have to be proud and we have to talk about. Sanitary pads cost more because there are taxed as luxury items. Why? Let’s talk about it. Why women have to lose days at work without being considered sick? Why it has to be a taboo? Let’s fight!
