Menstruation is a normal process for every woman, and it comes and goes. Even these experiences of women and the challenges women and girls face remain the same.
“I remember when I was in class one in secondary school, my mother told me to notify her once my menses started. And the day, I woke up to see my dress and bed strained with blood, what my mother told me not to speak or have anything doing with a man or a boy,” Chief Mrs Oyindamola Abiola Ameringun, Iyaloja of Ibadan Land, recounted.
Chief Abiola-Ameringun, a 65-year-old grandmother, kept her mother’s word till she was admitted to continue her studies at the Kaduna Polytechnic.
“Unlike young girls today, I did not know much about menstruation. My mother bought and taught me how to use a sanitary towel, with instructions to always change it regularly to avoid strain. But she told me that menstruation is something done in secret, and I shouldn’t play with any man so that I don’t get pregnant,” she added.
Keeping to her mother’s instructions, she kept away from men and had only female friends. This was until her mother again called her while she was studying at Kaduna Polytechnic, asking about her male friends. It was after she stopped and rebuffed all attention from the male mates and other men.
Praise Alawode started menstruating a few months before her 12th birthday. It was a Sunday, and she discovered blood in her pants when she went to urinate. Her mother brought her a sanitary pad and thought she should use it.
The next day, in school, she couldn’t do much in class but sleep because of a serious stomach cramp. A male teacher who came to teach in her class suspected what was happening and asked that she be left to rest. Getting home was difficult, and her seniors in school had to support her.
Iyanu’s family was her support when she started menstruation, and her brothers easily understood her mood swings and reduced chores for her. Her male friends were also able to read her moods and help her with school notes when she missed classes because of severe cramps.
Victor Edem also recounted the day he brought a sanitary pad for his mother while in the market. Initially, his thought was that people would call him irresponsible and a bad person. Despite the way the woman looked at him and his hatred for seeing blood, he didn’t cringe.
Not many young people are lucky to have the social structures to enable effective menstrual hygiene management. They lack support from parents, particularly fathers and brothers.
UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) specialist, Mr. Monday Johnson, speaking at the 2024 World Menstrual Hygiene (WMH) Day, quoted the latest U-Report Nigeria, UNICEF’s digital community for young people, saying that there is a relatively low level of father support for girls going through their menstrual cycle, and 48% of young girls feel that their fathers don’t understand menstrual-related difficulties.
In addition, the report declared that 28% of young girls say that they don’t feel listened to by their fathers; 25% say their fathers dismiss issues around menstruation, and 36% say that they are using menstrual hygiene packs.
According to him, “a lot of taboos exist, and a lot of myths exist. Everybody must be involved in supporting girls during menstruation. We need to have a situation where, during the period, everybody is friendly and supportive, and they can have access to the products at an affordable price.”
Oyo State Health Commissioner, Dr. Oluwaseresimi Ajetunmobi, stated that more than 300 million women are menstruating worldwide, and an estimated 500 million people lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management.
According to her, stigmatisation, misinformation, and inadequate access to resources continue to undermine the ability of many to manage their menstruation healthily and respectfully.
President, Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN) Oyo State President, Dr Omowumi Femi-Akinlosotu, said it is important for girls to know how to take care of themselves during their menstrual cycle and advocated for boys to stand against body shaming of girls who are menstruating or who stain their dresses while menstruating.
Earlier, Chairman of OYORUWASSA, Alhaji Babalola Afolabi, stated that women in their menstrual period should be respected and declared that the agency will be making provision for access to cheaper menstrual pads, particularly for those in rural areas, to assist them during their menstrual period.
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