Empower women and girls to end period shame

The world is home to approximately 1.8 billion adolescents and young people with different sexual and reproductive health needs and potentials.

Young people under 35 years make up 70 per cent of the Kenyan population.

About 24 per cent are adolescents.

However, too often their priorities are not reflected in the government policies and budget process and outcomes.

This was vividly seen when Parliament decided to slash the budget for sanitary towels for girls in half.

The budgetary allocation to help the ministry supply sanitary pads to schools had been slashed from Sh470 million to Sh260 million.

The cost of sanitary pads and tampons can be cost prohibitive at Sh300 a month while one in three people in Kenya lives below the international poverty line of Sh225 per day.

Some women and girls may require more expensive menstrual products to manage menstrual hygiene like changing sanitary pads and access to water and other sanitation amenities.

More often it is a stage with a lot of confusion regarding changes and emotions in their bodies and they don’t know how to advise them or even allowed to access sexual and reproductive health information and services.

To curb all this among adolescents and young people different youth organisations have come together to look at these issues with clear lenses.

They have two main approaches; they want to make sure young people have access to youth-friendly centres and secondly invest in life skills and behaviour change which will address all socio-cultural practices that make adolescents more venerable to sexual and reproductive health issues.

Her narrative in partnership with Epic youth organization, Elimu care and sleek girls has launched a campaign against period poverty and stigma in Mombasa, which urges parents and the community at large to protect the girl child.

Mainstreaming boys and men in such activities and conversations for them to understand and champion ending period poverty and stigma to girls.

Mentoring adolescents in Grade 6 and Form 2 to become better individuals will be key in enhancing a generation of informed young people.

Many families and caregivers are often uncomfortable discussing menstrual hygiene because of a lack of sexual education, and many girls turn to their friends for information which most of the time is misleading and dangerous.

It is important to advocate for strong legal actions against sex pests.

More awareness campaigns are needed to empower girls, the lack of sanitary towels for many girls has contributed to the worrying situation facing many young girls in the country. 

Poor reproductive health does not respond to the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights needs of young people and investing in adolescents and youth SRHR will help to reduce teenage pregnancy and many health burdens.

However, this will not be possible if we will not invest in awareness creation campaigns.

We need to reduce period stigma so that women and girls feel comfortable talking about the challenges they face during that period.

That way we can ensure more inclusive menstrual health strategies that take the needs of adolescent girls and young women into account.

Epic Youth Organization team

Edited by Kiilu Damaris

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