Across the world, globally, 1.7 billion people live without basic sanitation services. Many of these women lack resources to aid them in their monthly menstruation cycle. Even in North America, a well-developed country, a 2018 study shows nearly 1 in 5 girls had missed school due to lack of access to period products. This problem persists further as third-world countries lack access to running water, sanitation, and proper toilets, making period management all the more difficult. Little to no resources cause young girls to improperly dispose of their period products and resort to other methods of sanitary products, like rags or old clothes, which are not sterile. Women struggle with either being unable to access these products, or worse, unable to afford these necessities.
Poor menstrual hygiene can cause physical health risks and has been linked to reproductive and urinary tract infections, according to UNICEF. Incorrect disposal of period products cultivates potential breeding grounds for transmission of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B, all of which these young girls are unaware of. In India, 14% of women about 14% of women self-reported menstrual infections.
This widespread issue, however, is put on the backburner of worldwide problems as more and more women experience period poverty. Menstruation carries a stigma in all societies, with women feeling embarrassed for having them and thus not speaking out, feeling embarrassed and thus deterred from researching a natural biological process.
A solution to this widespread problem is to increase awareness and normalize the process of menstruation. There needs to be a push for accessible period products all around the globe, supplying adequate materials and support for inexperienced young girls. Fortunately, organizations are already taking steps to solve the problem of period poverty. Organizations like MINA Foundation are not waiting on the government to take action — they provide young women with menstrual products to help them stay in school. There are groups of activists attempting to curb the misinformation, stigma, and improper approach towards menstruation.
Yet we must work together as a local community to aid our fellow girls in the inevitability of periods, and instead of shaming them, embrace them and guide them away from period poverty and towards a prosperous future for all of those who menstruate.
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