I am privileged. And with that privilege, I have a voice and I have a choice. I am making the choice to speak out.
One of my first days here in Nepal, I learned that it is seen as shameful for a woman to have a menstrual cycle. It is a taboo subject. In life in general, the first time a young lady experiences her period, it can be a scary and confusing time. In Nepal, the first time a girl experiences menstruation it is even more terrifying. The girl is isolated, placed inside a dark room (where sunlight is intentionally taken away) and she has to stay in that room until her cycle is complete. There is no explanation for what is happening in her body and no education on how to properly sanitize. If she lets anyone know that she is experiencing it for the first time, it is likely for her to be poked and prodded by people because she is “growing.” (Kind of similar to how we touch a pregnant woman’s stomach). In this case, I imagine it makes a vulnerable time feel even more invaded and scary.
As she grows older, more rules and stigmas are placed on a woman who’s on her period. In some households, she is unable to enter the kitchen because she is seen as “unclean.” In others, she is unable to touch plants or anything living because the blood is seen as deadly. Some girls are unable to attend school due to the lack of knowledge and resources to stay clean. Others end up with lifelong infections because of years of improper hygiene. The women who are able to use cloths or pads aren’t able to clean or dry them in the sun or in a public places. **To some, the sun is considered godly so exposing god to bloody clothing would be “sinful”**
This is real life. These are devastatingly real issues. It is sadly easy for us to detach our hearts from ideas of starving children in Africa or the killings or war overseas. It is sad but it is true. Those are issues we hear often, but aren’t faced with daily. They almost get put on the pedestal of issues that we can easily donate to or store away in our heads for another day. They are things that need attention, but they are things we tend to easily dismiss or desensitize.
This issue is new to me. The fact that a girl doesn’t even have a right to know what is going on in her body has blown my mind!!! Something that is so natural and produces life is seen as something shameful and warranting exile. This is being brought to the light. THIS HAS TO CHANGE. Education is the first step and action is the next!
How can you help? These women are already leading the way for change. www.lwhnepal.com
Please check out their page, hear their stories, surround them in prayer, and help to spread their message!
**Disclaimer, this mindset is not how every single Nepali person views menstruation. It is cultural, but it is not generalized to everyone. However, it is too common of an idea to be okay. Please help the people who are working to make the “taboo” of mensturation and education a norm in Nepal.**
