Observation: Dipti Sherchan Khusbu Agrawal Yukta Bajracharya
Language Editor: Pranika Koyu Aayush Niroula
Illustration: Pramesh Sherchan Prakash Ranjit Prabal Bikram Singh
Design: Aman Maharjan
Special Input: Bandana Rana, Strategic Advisor, Saathi Suvekchya Rana, Senior Program Manager, Saathi Santosh Pokharel, Program Coordinator, Saathi
Supported by: Foundation for a Just Society (FJS), USA
No mourning for my death! Shed no tears, my mother dear! Killer Chhaupadi, you have known for years! Secluded in period, for piety or whatever! Couldn’t call you for help, before it was really all over. This is the very shed, my elder sister choked to death Venomous snake crept in and bit, gloomy night with same fate to fit. It was just my time of the month, poor me had to bear the brunt Neither profane nor it was sin, fought for life but could not win. It is my pray to all the mothers, no end to meet like mine for others. Vulnerable to violence in menstrual huts, all the daughters want them shut. Menstrual segregation is unfair; no more daughters now to the snare I implore you all to understand this, period taboo needs dismiss. Superstition has long taken its toll, let’s wake up and search our souls Open your eyes and stop the slay, please do quick and no more delay Enough is enough this murderous mores, period prejudice should not soar. For my hunting soul to purge, I want people against it to surge.
Written by: Naresh Bahadur Singh, Chair, Bedkot Municipality, Ward no 2, Kanchanpur Translated with Improvement by : Santosh Pokharel, Program Coordinator, Saathi
Maya’s mother and father work at home and in the fields together.
Maya’s younger brother, Babu, is 9 years old.
Maya is 13 years old. She is in 6 Grade.
Maya’s father, Hari, is a farmer. He works in the fields.
Maya’s grandma is very old-fashioned and conservative. She’s very rigid when it comes to pure-impure or holy-unholy topics.
Maya is returning from school alone.
Di, Di
Didi, blood! There is blood on your skirt!
What do I do? Mom will scold me! How do I wash this blood stain off my dress?
Oh no! How did it get there?
What if I die from bleeding too much?
Will I keep bleeding everyday? I didn’t even got hurt. Am i SUFFERING FROM A BIG DISEASE?
Will I even survive until this year’s Saraswati ritual?
“Mother!” “Mother!”
“Mother!”
What happened Maya? What’s wrong?
There is blood on my skirt, I don’t know how. It’s bleeding more now.
….Mother…..
Menstruation is not a matter of shame my dear. For a girl, getting her first period is a sign of becoming a healthy woman having capacity to giving birth to a child. Most girls start to menstruate between ages 10 and 15 years and stops when they are 45 to 50.
What?
Look at the back of my skirt! There is blood.
Silly you! You don’t need to be scared! Maya, girls bleed for 5-7 days every month. It’s called menstruation. Your menstruation has started. Don’t be afraid. Until your menstruation stops, you need to take proper rest.
OH! is that so.
Okay, wait here for a while.
Maya, you need to bathe but just wait a second.
After you bath , keep this cloth inside your underwear and then put it on. Okay, mother.
You should keep changing this cloth. You need to either change the cloth every 4 hours or once it is fully soaked. You need to wash the blood-soaked cloth in clean soap water and dry it in the sun. Then, you can reuse it.
Okay, mother. But why do I need to wash it with soap water?
After running it in clean water, washing it with soap water, and drying it in the sun, there won’t be any germs in the cloth. So, when you reuse it, it won’t cause itching or infections. Oh. Then I’ll do as you’ve told me to.
Now go bathe and come to eat.
Buhari, have the children come home?
When you have your period, you can't come into the kitchen, Maya. You’ve grown up. You should understand these things.
Grandma, did you hear? Didi's Menstruation has started.
Aren’t you afraid of sinning? You have your period and you've come into the kitchen ? Clear out the things from the old room. We need to prepare it so Maya can stay there for seven days.
Seven days?
She doesn’t need to go to school for 7 days either. She can’t leave the room.
Also, no one can meet her, especially her father and her brother. And, you can’t even enter the prayer room. Don’t touch the tap as well.
Mother, do we really need to do all these things? Back in the day, we didn’t have the tools to stay clean during our menstruation but now we can. We need to change our mindset and our activities according to time. The fact that she started her menstruation means she is in good health. Why should we restrict her like this?
You don’t need to teach me anything! If you want to stop following the rules you can do so after my death. As long as I live, everyone in the house has to follow these rules when someone is on their periods.
You can’t say that! The fact that you're menstruating means you cannot do these things. Maya, why are you standing there? Leave the room immediately, get out! After she leaves, sprinkle holy water in the room.
It isn’t like that, mother. Menstruation should not be called impure. It is about maintaining personal hygiene.
Father is here! Where is Maya?
Maya's menstruation has started. Mother insists that she stays separately.
Didi, eat this.
Mother, she needs proper care at this time. She needs to pay attention to her hygiene. We shouldn’t isolate her like this.
You don’t need to teach me. We shouldn't stray from our religion and practice.
Didi, how are you? Is it difficult staying in the dark?
Not really. But my lower abdomen is hurting. Eat all of this, it will be okay.
No! She needs to stay there for at least three days!
Have you taken a bath?
Yes, mother.
mother, even though Grandmother has told me not to, I will still go to school today. There is Saraswati Puja and I don't want to miss it.
Maya, Maya.
Didi, go quickly! Grandma isn’t here! Bye!
Maya, let's go quickly! Ratan Sir had asked us to come early.
You’ve come at the right time. You were almost late for the puja.
Tell her. It’ll be worse if she finds out later.
Diya, what do I do now?
Gita Miss, I need to tell you something.
Yes, what happened?
MISS, I CAN’T WORSHIP TODAY?
WHY DID YOUR MENSURATION PERIOD STARTED?
yES, Miss.
What? Who told you can’t worship today?
My grandmother told me.
Your grandmother was taught that culture. But it is not like that anymore, Maya.
No. You should be taking care of yourself at this time. You should keep yourself clean. You should eat well and take rest. And you should be sitting in the sunlight, not in the dark.
Really, miss? Yes.
But Miss, she said I shouldn’t be touching anyone and I should be sitting in a dark room. Is that true?
And I can do puja too?
I told you that you can. Come hold this plate.
Is it true that your menstruation has started?
Why did you come to school then? They say you shouldn’t be out of your house.
Maya, isn’t it hard for you? Painful? I didn’t even realise when it happened.
It was really difficult for me. I had to be rushed to the health post because I bled too much. Really?
I really like to walk during my period.
I think it’s time to change my cloth.
Wait, I’ll accompany you.
Look at this! At least there should have been water in the tap! There is no rubbish bin either!
What do I do now?
Okay. Also, could you please bring water to wash my hands as well?
What is this? Such improper facilities! Let’s go tell Gita Miss our problem.
Wait, I’ll tear a page from my notebook. Wrap it in that and throw it.
What’s wrong? Why have you all banded together?
Maya, tell us what happened?
We’ve come to tell you our problem. What is it? Tell me.
It is very hard for us during our menstruation. There is no water or waste bin in the bathroom.
Yes, Miss. That is why we can’t come to school during our period.
Tell, maya! MAYA ?
Really? What do you do with the sanitary pad or towel then?
I throw it at home.
I throw it on the road secretly.
I dig a hole and cover it up. I throw it behind the bathroom.
Thank you, Maya. We will put this problem forward in the school committee and solve it. don't worry about it now.
We have the same problem.
We can’t go on like this. We have to do something, Gita Miss.
Where can I buy the pad that you mentioned earlier? You can buy at Pharmacy.
What are you thinking about?
Haha! Chocolates indeed! We are talking about something else.
Okay, I’m going. Bye!
I need to use it every time when mensuration occurs.
To buy chocolates? Buy some for me as well!
Dai‌ What is it? Don't feel uncomfortable child.
Dai, please give me that.
Do you mean sanitary pad ?
Yes. Dai.
I’ll ask Diya how to use it.
Both of you wash up and come to eat.
Okay!
Aagh! Mom, babu is splashing water on me!
No! Didi started it!
Look at this girl! I told you not to go out but you disobeyed me? You even touched the tap! How dare you!
You won’t obey me! Why won’t you listen to what I say?
I’m tired of s:tf] eg]s f] you<not gdfGg] dt doing what x}/fg eO;s]+ Û I tell you!
That was what she was taught to do and what she did. Why is grandma so strict?
I can’t say s8f xf]Obut... g=== Strict
Really?
Don’t scold her, Mother. She’s a child. I’ll talk to her. Maya, come.
It was very difficult for me the first time too.
Even you had to abide by these rules?
It was really difficult. My mom was even stricter.
When we were young, we had to stay inside for twelve days.
====
Can you imagine what it was like during your grandmotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time?
You should take care of yourself during your period.
Your grandma, in her own way, is trying to tell you that you should take care of yourself during your period.
Okay, mother
Oh no, I forgot to ask Diya how to put this on. Maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like this.
Maya, get up fast.
OH! THERE IS TOO MUCH BLOOD. LETS GO TO THE DOCTOR. Mayaâ&#x20AC;¦
Maybe I put on the pad the wrong way last night.
She should have just used a cloth. This is what happens when you try to be smart unnecessarily.
That’s not true grandmother. It’s the same whether you use a pad or a cloth. A pad is more convenient.
gd:t], namaste. gd:t] Namaste,
There’s nothing wrong with Maya. She put on the pad the wrong way. No need to be worried.
Namaste Rama.
Maya, a pad or a cloth should be changed every 4-5 hours.
Okay, my mother told me the same thing as well.
After changing pads, you need to wash your hands with soap water.
Okay. However, wash your vagina with water only, not soap.
Another thing. Even if you’re not bleeding a lot, you need to change your pad every 4 hours. Then, wrap that pad in a paper and dispose it in a garbage bin. A person I know hid a used pad for 4 months. You shouldn’t do that. It will start to smell and germs will Another person start to grow. didn’t tell anyone for a year that her period had started. She hid it from everyone. You shouldn’t be shy to ask questions because you might have problems if you are misinformed. You should share your problems and ask for help without hesitating.
Okay, didi.
It's not like that grandmother, Maya should be allowed to play and rest as much as she can. She shouldn’t be staying in a cold place. She should be taken care of this time of the month. Saying that she shouldn’t drink cow’s milk or touch plants in case they wilt are things people say without much thought. It is blindfaith. We should do away with such conservative thoughts and practices.
But we lived that way, doctor. My daughter-in-law says the same as you. Now, I won’t make it difficult for my granddaughter.
Grandmother told me to stay in a cold room and not go out. Is it so, Rama didi? Maya, read this carefully and teach your friends as well.
You can take Maya home now.
Are you okay?
I’m okay, Rama didi made everything all right.
Gita Miss said they are going to improve the toilet facilities at our school!
I’ve come to deliver good news.
Wow! That’s great news!
Discussion on Reproductive Health and Menstrual Hygiene
Saathi Saathi is a non-governmental organization established in 1992 to address the different forms of violence and discrimination faced by Nepali women and girls. It was the first organization that was instrumental in drawing significant national attention towards domestic violence as an area requiring urgent attention and intervention to break the silence that impacts the lives of many marginalized women and girls. Since the last 25 years it has persistently continued its crusade for gender equality and creating a safe and violence-free society where women and children can live with respect and dignity.
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