Menstruation Taboos and Stigma Rooted in Cultural, Religious Constraints-CRS
By Njadvara Musa, Maiduguri
The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has attributed the menstruation taboos and stigma to various cultural and religious constraints in the country.
According to CRS, the constraints pose a significant impediment to proper menstrual hygiene management in the communities of the six geopolitical zones.
CRS’s Hygiene Promotion and Community Mobilisation (HPCM) ieam leader, Timothy Daret, disclosed this over the weekend in Maiduguri, Borno State, to mark 2024 Menstrual Hygiene Day.
He said girls in rural areas and those living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) camps; are unprepared and not aware of their menstruation.
“Despite the taboos and stigma associated with menstruation,” he noted, the critical constraints to menstruation have also led to several problems in homes, offices, and schools.
Daret, in a paper entitled: “The Role of Men and Boys on Menstrual Hygiene Management,” said that adolescent girls are a vulnerable population in India, where the females are also ignorant of menstrual hygiene.
Consequently, the cultural norms on menstruation are rooted in gender inequality, which has been compromising women’s ability to promote and manage menstruation hygienically with dignity.
Other means of menstrual hygiene comprise the engagement of boys and men in menstrual hygiene through the provision of WASH facilities in communities and schools.
He, therefore, suggested that to eliminate the stigma and taboos of menstruation, girls and women be supported with the influence of policy advocacy and decision-making to promote and sustain menstrual hygiene in the country.
On the influence of boys and men, the CRS WASL leader said: “Men and boys influence women’s and girls’ experiences of menstrual hygiene management through many roles, as husbands, fathers, brothers, students, peers, teachers, community leaders, entrepreneurs, employers, development and humanitarian practitioners, and policymakers.”
He noted that engaging them in menstrual hygiene management is crucial for several reasons.
Besides, Daret added, “Involving boys and men helps break down the stigma and taboos surrounding menstruation,” by fostering a more open and supportive environment.
He explained that education on menstrual hygiene management for boys and men, also promotes gender equality with what he described as “normalising menstruation and ensuring that both sexes understand and respect this natural process.
