HYDERABAD: A recent online petition by a Congress MP seeking either abolition or reduction of taxes on sanitary napkins has brought to light the need for information and education for young girls and women to understand the functioning of their bodies and related hygiene.
“We have no system in place that teaches children about their body and hygiene. Often shrouded in secrecy, there is no proper language to educate children about their body. English is still sensitive, but in Telugu, they are just cuss words,” pointed out Rukmini Rao, founder of Gramya Resource Centre for Women.
Sucharitha Dhande, director of the Centre for World Solidarity (CWS), a not-for-profit organisation working towards educating adolescent girls on menstrual hygiene in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh maintain that a number of myths surround the understanding of menstrual cycle among girls.
“A study we conducted across 21 districts showed that there are major lapses in information. They are surrounded by taboos, especially in tribal areas, where girls are asked to stay out of the hamlet during their periods. It is not just girls, even boys have no understanding about their reproductive system. There is no source of information,” said Dhande.
Bushra Begum, a primary school teacher at the Government Girls’ High School, Mustaidpura agrees.
“Some girls attain puberty in class 5 because they are usually enrolled late into school. They are unaware of the changes their bodies undergo. There is no one to explain these concepts to them,” she said, adding that the syllabus which includes topics of the reproductive system are only taught in the higher grades.
Nirmala, who works at a local Primary Health Centre, meets panicky mothers quite often. “Some of them often panic about why their daughters haven’t attained puberty despite turning 14. We address those specific questions as we cannot talk to everyone in detail about what puberty means,” she explained.
While efforts are being made to educate young girls about personal hygiene during menstruation, CWS identified the lack of proper sanitation facilities as a hurdle. A study conducted across eight districts in Telangana showed that 302 children were using one toilet. “There were not enough toilets and that was a reason for dropout rate too. At present, we depend on the sanitation report by District Information System for Education (DISE). Though the number of toilets is accurate, their functionality is not mentioned,” shared Dhande.