1.4.6
Women’s Health Considerations
By Alexandra Weller
Menstruation and Menstrual Health Management (MHM), has been a continuous issue for women. Shame, stigma and misinformation continue to impact the understanding and accessibility to education, menstrual products and facilities, forcing menstruators to be denied the right to manage their monthly menstrual cycle in a dignified and health way (Tellier & Hyttel, 2017 & United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2019). This is a result of gender inequality, discriminatory social norms, cultural taboos, poverty and lack of basic services which is prompting Goal 6.2 of the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals to not be met; a goal which specifically encourages “paying special attention to the needs of women and girls” (UN, 2020). Adolescent girls are highly susceptible to stigma, harassment and social exclusion during menstruation, which produces negative impacts on the individuals life: restricting their mobility; freedom and choices; affecting attendance and participation in school and community life; compromising their safety, and causing stress and anxiety (UNICEF, 2019). To form an understanding on the acceptance and understanding of menstruation within the Baghere community, the kay actions for menstrual hygiene management has been developed to establish an appropriate response to this natural fact of life. Figure 20 Menstrual Hygiene Management Key Actions
Created by A.Weller, (2021).
It is with the assumption that Baghere does not have adequate facilities, menstrual products, nor a complete understanding and respect for the menstrual cycle, as open defecation is the primary means of defecating. This emphasises that that women and girls encounter the difficulties in managing hygiene during menstruation as they lack the enabling environment to do so, as they have difficulty exercising their right to water, sanitation and education (UNICEF, 2019). With continuing disregard, taboo and misinformation on menstruation, there provides the ability to significantly
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