Adolescent boys sensitised to menstrual stigma

Boys are gradually being educated to desist from bullying and embarrassing menstruating adolescent girls.

Under a project dubbed “Power to Choose”, efforts are being made to right these and ensure adolescent boys and girls both appreciate periods and desist from ridiculing menstruating girls.

Power to Choose is a seven-year project funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) through OXFAM to address barriers that hinder young women and adolescent girls’ access to quality sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Paa Kwesi Nkrumah, 13 years old and in junior high form three, says, "Before the sessions on menstruation, myself and some of my friends bullied the girls when they were menstruating.

“Through the sessions, I understood it was wrong and I have stopped.

"We were taught menstruation shows a girl's body is maturing rightly and it should not make her feel ashamed and I must not make her feel ashamed for menstruating," he stated.

His school, the Ankaful MA Basic School in Cape Coast, in collaboration with the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana, is implementing the Power to Choose project to, among others, create time and space where menstrual education and hygiene are given to both boys and girls to help debunk myths and normalise menstruation.

Chris Sackey is also 15 years old and in Junior High Form Three, at the Ankaful MA Basic School. He says the safe spaces help them understand their mates and sisters better and treat them well.

Another student, Roland Opare, 12 and in Junior High Two says he used to tease his sister anytime she was menstruating, but now he has stopped after the education through the Power to Choose project.

A teacher and coordinator of the Power to Choose project at the Ankaful MA Basic School, Chris Joshua Boateng, observed that cordiality between boys and girls had significantly improved.

Effects

The emotional and psychological effects of menstruation could lead to feelings of shame, embarrassment and low self-esteem in girls.

This, according to experts, may cause anxiety or depression, especially when girls are teased or ridiculed about their periods.

Such girls may isolate themselves, withdraw from all social activities or miss school during their periods, fearing teasing or ridicule.

In Ghana, menstrual hygiene challenges and stigma significantly affect girls’ education, leading to school absenteeism.

Indeed, it is estimated that around 11 per cent of girls in Ghana miss school during their menstrual periods due to a lack of access to menstrual hygiene products and or proper sanitation facilities in schools.

According to a 2016 UNICEF report, some girls in Ghana miss up to five days of school a month due to menstruation-related issues.

This could amount to 20 per cent of the school year negatively impacting their academic performance and progress.

Again, a study by SNV Ghana revealed that 95 per cent of girls in rural areas face challenges obtaining proper menstrual hygiene products, contributing to school absenteeism.

Furthermore, about 83 per cent of schools in Ghana lack adequate sanitation facilities, making it difficult for girls to manage their periods hygienically, leading to their absence during menstruation. Continuous absenteeism leads to eventual dropout.

A soiled dress

With all these challenges facing a menstruating adolescent, she is likely to soil herself. Then the stigma worsens.

The notion that menstruation is something to be hidden and that menstruating girls are "impure" or "unclean", affects their self-worth and place in society, often reinforcing gender inequality and discrimination.