While the UN (United Nations) considers access to menstrual hygiene a right that should be treated as a public health issue, in practice this is not what is happening. In Brazil, one in four teenagers do not have a tampon during their period† The data comes from the Free to Menstruar report, prepared by Girl Up, a global movement to promote female leadership.
Other studies also point to this scenario of uncertainty during menstruation. The UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) “Menstrual Poverty in Brazil: Inequality and violations of rights” indicates that 713,000 girls live in your home without access to a toilet or shower. Another 4 million do not have access to minimal menstrual care products in schools, such as sanitary towels, soap or even toilets.
For the UNFPA representative in Brazil, Astrid Bant, the lack of minimum hygienic conditions for people to control their periods is a violation of human rights and a condition that removes the country from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as the SDGs. , related to health and well-being.
“Menstruation is a completely natural condition that should be taken more seriously by government and health policy. If we don’t let a girl go through this period well, we are violating her dignity,” says Astrid.
What is menstrual deficiency?
Menstrual poverty is determined by the lack of Basic features (compresses or menstrual cups, soap, water, toilet paper, etc.), adequate infrastructure (safe and well-maintained bathrooms, sanitary facilities, garbage collection) and knowledge (breaking taboos and prejudices about this) so that people who menstruate are fully able to take care of their period. It is important to note that in addition to girls and women, transgender men also menstruate.
Thus, the causes of menstrual poverty are mainly social inequality, since the people most affected by this problem are those who do not have the means to buy hygiene items or who do not have access to information on the subject.
“It is estimated at R$30 per menstrual cycle. Given that 13% of the population lives on less than R$246 per month, it may be unfeasible to spend part of the budget on the purchase of these types of products,” said Regiane Mançano, writing professor at Colégio Oficina do Estudante in Campinas (SP). Calculating, it is not difficult to understand why the absorbent is often seen as a superfluous product. † under these circumstances, the focus is on the family’s food.
The professor also points out that menstrual poverty is also linked to gender inequality. “Although it is an old problem, it has only recently received more attention in public discussions, perhaps because it is an issue that does not concern cisgender men, who are particularly privileged in a patriarchal society,” he adds.
While the economic issue is the central factor in menstrual poverty, the taboo and lack of information on the subject make the situation even worse.
Main consequences
Social Effects: DeThe consequences of menstrual poverty are mainly social. “Without infrastructure and basic hygiene products, girls will no longer go to school and participate in socialization activities, and women will no longer go to work. That is why reference is made to the direct impact on education and the economy. No wonder they leave their jobs and school because of the lack of resources to cope with menstruation,” says Daniela Toffoli, writing teacher at Curso Anglo.
psychological consequences: The lack of knowledge and information reinforces certain taboos around menstruation, creating different kinds of prejudice. In fact, many young women are ashamed to go to the doctor and do not know how their bodies work. To give you an idea, a survey conducted by FEBRASGO (Brazilian Federation of Societies of Gynecology and Obstetrics) together with Datafolha shows that 4 million women in Brazil have never seen a gynaecologist and 16.2 million no longer see a gynecologist. examined by a specialist. years out of shame, fear of a diagnosis or simply because they don’t like it.
Menstruation, too, according to a UNICEF reportIt can “cause discomfort, insecurity and stress, contributing to increasing discrimination faced by girls and women. The situation jeopardizes the well-being, development and opportunities of girls because they fear blood loss, poor sleep, miss leisure activities and stop playing sports. They also suffer from reduced concentration and productivity.”
Effects on intimate health: The same document points out that lack of care during menstruation can lead to allergies and irritation of the skin and mucous membranes, genitourinary infections (such as cystitis and candidiasis), and even a condition known as Toxic Shock Syndrome, which can lead to death. lead.
Menstrual poverty at school age
One in ten girls miss school during their period, according to UN data. In Brazil, this number is even higher: one in four students is already out of school because they do not have sanitary pads. The study “Impact of Menstrual Poverty in Brazil”, commissioned by a sanitary napkin brand and conducted by consultancy firm Toluna, shows that young people miss an average of up to 45 school days per school year due to a lack of disorders during menstruation.
The data is extremely worrying, as the absolute majority of girls menstruate for much of their school life. According to the 2013 PNS (National Health Survey), the average age of first menstruation for Brazilian women is 13 years, and almost 90% of them have this first experience between 11 and 15 years.
When people miss school during menstruation, the learning process and professional qualification are compromised, with consequences for the present and the future of this segment of the population. The end result can be truancy.
“Girls’ absence from school during their period has a significant impact on their school performance, so it’s not uncommon for this situation to cause them to drop out of school at some point in their lives,” explains Daniela.
Because they are still growing, their cycles are often irregular, which can lead to unexpected blood flow, stains on clothes and teenagers being the butt of jokes and prejudice.
In addition, in most schools there is insufficient hygiene infrastructure to meet the basic needs of people who are menstruating. Today MMore than 4 million students attend schools with a poor hygiene structure, such as toilets without conditions of use, without washbasins or washbasins, toilet paper and soap. Of this total, nearly 200,000 have no basic hygiene items in the school environment.
in prisons
According to data from the National Survey of Penitentiary Information (Infopen), 24.9% of women in prison in Brazil are in prisons that do not provide an adequate structure in the health module, which should guarantee individual and collective health in place.
As a result, many do not have access to an adequate hygiene kit, with the recommended amount of absorbents to use throughout the day. They resort to using unsuitable materials to stem the flow, such as rags, newspaper scraps, toilet paper and even breadcrumbsincreasing the risk of diseases and infections.
How to fight?
There are a number of measures that can be taken to combat menstrual poverty and according to Daniela, the government through public policy should be the main actor in these actions. Among these policies are:
- investing in sex education classes so that children and adolescents have access to information about menstruation;
- investments in infrastructure in schools (bathroom and hygiene items);
- distribution of sanitary towels and basic hygiene items to the poorest population, including public schools;
- free distribution, at health posts, of medicines to help women cope with menstrual problems;
- awareness campaigns inside and outside schools to educate children and adolescents about the functioning of the menstrual cycle, thereby reducing the taboo on the subject.
And also
Because it is something socially relevant and affects a significant part of the population, the teachers say that this is a subject with the ‘face’ of Enem.
In the newsroom, for example, the board may instruct that the candidate examines the causes and consequences of this problem for society during the speech, on the basis of examples and statistical data.
Therefore, the tip is to summarize the main causes (taboo, lack of financial resources, misinformation) and consequences (damage to school life, health risk) of menstrual poverty.
Furthermore, it is important to explain how the problem is related to the violation of human rights and to consider some intervention proposals, such as the government policy mentioned above.
dig deeper
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