Speakers urge for using napkin pads, breaking social taboo about menstruation

In a bid to educate adolescents about menstrual hygiene, a topic still deemed as taboo in many parts, as many as seven sessions were held in different parts across the country with training to replace unsanitary rags with sanitary pads. 

Impressed by the initiative, the participants called the effort as time-bound and effective, pledging to avoid unhygienic methods and stick to the use of pads. The idea is to educate these young minds about the better alternative in the form of sanitary napkin pads and to empower them with factual and useful information regarding the monthly period so that they are aware of the benefits of a hygienic lifestyle, spread this knowledge among friends and family, be aware of their rights and break free of the taboo that has been holding them back for the longest time, said speakers.

Attended by around 850 plus female students from 7 districts Class Six to Ninth grade, each of those sessions equipped those participants with knowledge on proper usage of pads, an effort to break the cycle of stereotypes and stigmas still exists in remote areas.

Pointing out an earlier survey from 2017 that found a staggering majority don't use napkins, the speakers encouraged those schoolgoers and educated them about the health hazards of usage of a piece of clothing during period. 

In association with Senora, Lightshore foundation organised these sessions joining hands with respective local youth-led platforms advancing the cause. 

Themed on awareness against stigmas involving girls health, the events were also attended by school teachers and local influencers. Cox's Bazar, Mymensingh, Tetulia, Rangamati, Khulna Dinajpur, Patuakhali among other places those sessions were held during the month-long campaign. 

According to organisers they have been constantly arranging these programs with the help of Senora and different Social Welfare Associations in the hope of educating the people, especially the female population and young girls of the remote parts and rural areas of the country.

Sharing her first menstrual experience, SSC candidate Trina Dey said, "I got my first period when I was in class 5, after informing my mother I was locked up in a room for seven days, I wasn't allowed to see my sister, brother or father. Even when my father asked for me, I was not permitted to see him, my brother came to me and asked if I was a grown-up. Because of the superstitions about the period, I couldn't see my father and brother or even play with my younger brother for seven days."