Menstrual health
9 consequences of menstruation.
Menstruation is a natural part of growing up and life. But for many girls around the world, their first period is the start of unnecessary and unreasonable suffering. Largely because of because of social inequalities and discriminatory structures. The consequences of menstruation are many - here you can read about some of the most serious.
1. Missed training
Around 640 million children attend school without a toilet or access to soap and running water. As a result, many girls miss out on education, increasing the risk of them dropping out of school and being married off or having to go to work instead.
2. deteriorating health
More than 500 million girls and women lack access to sanitary protection, and half of the world's schools lack access to handwashing facilities. This increases the risk of disease and ill-health and reduces the ability to care for their bodies with dignity.
3. risk of child marriage
Around 12 million girls enter/are forced into child marriage every year. In addition to cultural norms and social structures, a study by Plan International shows that the lack of sanitary pads is a contributing factor to child marriage.
4. Shame and stigma
The perception of menstruation is still shrouded in shame, leaving many girls feeling alone and unable to manage their Menstrual health with dignity. The lack of proper menstrual protection leads to anxiety and shame about the makeshift protection that must be used.
5. early pregnancy
In many countries, the first menstrual period is a sign that a girl is considered ready to marry and become pregnant. The lack of sexual and reproductive health education, of which knowledge about menstruation is an important part, contributes to many teenage pregnancies.
6. Restricted freedom
When their first period arrives, many girls are restricted in their freedom and stay home from school because of shame and lack of toilets. Traditions or harassment prevent many girls from washing, cooking or living with their families.
7. Lack of knowledge
Myths and lack of knowledge mean that for many girls, menstruation is not a normal part of growing up, leading to a lack of access to care. Educating both girls and boys about Menstrual health will increase their ability to take care of their periods properly and boost their confidence.
8. Abuse and harassment
Poor Menstrual health and prejudice prevent many teenage girls around the world from participating in daily life. A study by Plan International shows that both the risk of domestic violence against women and social exclusion increase during menstruation.
9. continued poverty
For girls and women who cannot afford to buy sanitary pads, poverty is perpetuated over generations. Sanitary pads are in short supply in many parts of the world and there are reports of girls selling sex to afford sanitary pads.
How Erikshjälpen works for girls' Menstrual health
Erikshjälpen works in several parts of the world with both advocacy and direct interventions to promote girls' rights.
- Educates girls, boys and caregivers about body development, menstrual cycle, sexual and reproductive health.
- Breaking the stigma and taboos associated with menstruation.
- Ensures that access to safe sanitary protection is improved.
- Ensuring hygienic toilets and safe spaces in schools.
- Works to counteract the negative consequences girls face because of their periods.
Give a gift for girls' Menstrual health
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Nancy calls for period protection to be free
Nancy Mbiti is the 18-year-old in Western Kenya who is calling for sanitary pads to be free for all girls and women in Kenya. She is one of several brave girls at her school who have started to speak out against an unequal society.
Read the story of Nancy Mbiti.
Spacerpad - the reusable menstrual pad
Together with the University of Borås and others, Erikshjälpen is running an innovation and development project that is about contributing to everyone's equal right to good and sustainable Menstrual health. Spacerpad is a reusable pad based on an innovative solution for fluid retention. The pad acts as a container for the fluid, instead of absorbing it. It requires little water to clean and is quick-drying, which is a prerequisite for its hygiene and reusability. The ease of use of sanitary pads is particularly important in vulnerable environments where there is no functioning water, sanitation and privacy infrastructure.
Questions and answers about Spacerpad
Spacerpad aims to offer an environmentally sustainable product. The goal is to be a quality and reusable sanitary pad that is acceptable to use, affordable and manageable, even in parts of the world with limited access to water and sanitation. One of the key objectives of the project is to contribute to gender equality by providing girls and women with access to sanitary protection, a prerequisite for active participation in society every day of the month during childbearing age.
The collaboration and development of Spacerpad has looked different in different phases. Erikshjälpen has been involved in the research phase since 2019.
Erikshjälpen has offered girls and women in both Romania and Kenya to test the sanitary towel. Based on the testing in Kenya, for example, direct improvements could be made to the sanitary napkin. The testing in Romania confirmed, among other things, the importance of surrounding factors, such as the adaptation of information on how the sanitary towel is used, but also the importance of socio-cultural conditions. Thanks to the collaboration on this innovation project, several important aspects of the work on Menstrual health have also become visible in our own work.
The collaboration with the University of Borås has helped us to intensify our work on Menstrual health. We work strategically and with a holistic perspective on menstruation and its influence on children's rights. Understanding the local conditions for both environmentally and socially sustainable menstrual health is therefore an important piece of the puzzle. Over the years, we have heard stories from young girls who describe that, through our interventions, they have gained knowledge about menstruation. There is still a lot of uncertainty, ignorance and misinformation about the subject, which makes it clear why the work with Menstrual health is important.
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We work in a rights-based manner. Our aim is to empower people in our interventions and give them the opportunity to influence their own situation. We provide Humanitarian Assistance to communities and people affected by crises and disasters, including natural disasters and conflicts.
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