It is tough for Amrita Gyanwali to perform even a simple activity because of her disability. The monthly menstrual cycle further adds to her woes. She generally sits on a wheel chair for maximum 14 hours when she has to attend a long public function. In such a situation, she cannot change her sanitary pads for several hours because of the lack of disabled friendly toilet in public places. Gyanwali also advocates the sanitation rights for the disabled. [break]
Barsha Tharu, 17, is a 10th grader at Gautam Buddha Secondary School in Kapilvastu. It´s been three years that she started experiencing the menstrual periods. She was compelled to drop out of school after her monthly cycle began.
The school has constructed a toilet but has failed to make it girl-friendly. But she is not alone to leave the school during monthly periods but thousands of girls have similar problem.
The situation was even worse for Sarala Khadka, 45, of Bajhang, where she had to follow the Chhaupadi tradition of living in the shed during the monthly cycle, as she shared in a program organized on Tuesday.
The national census 2011 shows that around 7.5 million females in the country belong to the age group which goes through the menstrual cycle every month. Girls experience the first period at the age of 8 to 12. As per the school enrollment age of the girls in the country, it has been estimated that a school girl might be compelled to leave her school for 250 days due to the lack of proper toilet in the school till she finishes her secondary level study.
The data of the Department of Education shows that 9,000 community schools, among the total 28000, lack girl-friendly toilets.
However, there is no projection about the number of women suffering in lack of female-friendly toilets in colleges, public places and even their workplace.
Dilli Ram Sharma, director of the DoE, said that the government authority is adding 2000 more girl-friendly toilets in the schools this year. He also stressed on raising awareness among students on the topic of menstrual hygiene to break the silence.
Speaking at the program by non-government organizations, including Water-aid, CIUD, ENPHO and Lumanti, among others, the high level officials of the Ministry of Urban Development, Department of Water and Sewerage Management expressed the commitment to raise the issue linking it to the Open Defecation Free campaign for more effective results.
Dr Tirtha Raj Burlakoti, chief of the planning department of the Ministry of Health, said that his ministry would coordinate with other offices to make sure that sanitary pads are available at schools.
Karishma speak out against discrimination
The society is not to accept it merely as natural phenomenon due to its orientation to the women from the very beginning making feel guilty to even those women who are against the discrimination during menstruation cycle.
I usually don´t follow the tradition of staying isolated and untouched during my periods, but I fear to attend rituals or worship gods because of my deep rooted belief.
I teach my daughter how to maintain hygiene and make sure that my teenage daughter is not discriminated. We must let go of our past practices and move forward accepting the concept that a girl must not be victimized for her physiological processes.
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