Men in MENstruation

Men in MENstruation  Men and boys can support women and girls to manage menstruation effectively across different social domains including household, community, school, and work. Men and boys influence women’s and girls’ experiences of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) through many roles, including as husbands, fathers, brothers, students, peers, teachers, community leaders, entrepreneurs, employers, development and humanitarian practitioners, and policymakers. While it necessary to reach men and boys across all these roles, this paper will focus on those related to the household, community, and school contexts. One of the critical challenges girls face at school in relation to menstruation is the fear of being teased by boys, which impacts on their self-esteem.Physical and verbal bullying was one of the main grievances of girls interviewed. As one girl shared, ‘Boys make you feel ashamed.They are rough with us and go into our bags and would see our cloths if we brought them to school.’ From a boy's perspective, Sometimes, when they used the toilet, their menstrual blood often drips …drops are on the rim of the stool. When we sweep, we feel very disgusted. When we use water to flush it, we are afraid of using a broom or our feet to touch the water. I feel it is truly disgusting. At the household level men are concerned about the allocation of resources, sanitary towels are inclusive. Teachers, particularly men, may not be adequately sensitized to girls’ needs and therefore may not allow girls to visit the toilets, and may misinterpret girls’ lack of participation in class during menstruation. Male teachers need to be informed and confident regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene so that they can support female students and create a less stigmatizing environment at school. This is particularly important where there are far fewer female teachers in secondary schools in developing countries. Another household decision that may be taken by men is whether to build a household latrine, where women and girls can also change menstrual materials in privacy. The taboos and cultural norms surrounding menstruation make this difficult for many.  #MenstrutaionMatters #MenstrualHygieneDay

#MHM2019