Madam Benedicta Kafari, Regional School Health Coordinator at the Northern Regional Education Directorate, has said menstrual cycles among females is a natural physiological condition and should not be regarded as a taboo.
She said many traditional and religious beliefs consider such menstrual cycles as a negative condition while others regard it as a taboo adding that such perceptions has affected the educational and psychological development of the girl-child.
Madam Kafari said this when addressing a symposium on Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) organised by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in collaboration with the University for Development Studies (UDS) and the Desert Research Institute.
The symposium was attended by various stakeholders with the objective of sharing knowledge and experiences on WASH and its related concerns on menstrual cycles of females particularly those in school.
The symposium was held under the theme; “Menstrual hygiene management interventions for the girl-child: successes, challenges and the way forward”.
Madam Kafari said due to the negative perceptions associated with the menstrual conditions, many female are shy of discussing the condition.
They often use expressions like “I am in red”, “I am in danger” etc to describe the condition, and such expressions suggests the negative effect their own natural physiological condition has had on them.
She expressed the worry that there were so many girls who did not know about menstruation before their first menstrual cycle occurs noting that GES was collaborating with various institutions to ensure that girl’s awareness creation on such issues is deepened.
Madam Kafari said the GES is currently working to integrate menstrual cycle education and its management into the educational curriculum to ensure that girls are fully aware of the condition while school boys’ perceptions are changed.
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