Staff Reporter :
Menstruation is a natural process in every girl’s body which deals with her private body organs and sexuality. But inadequate sanitation and other related facilities for girls during menstruation have been creating a negative impact on their overall health condition.
The girl students face severe problem at this physical stage due to lack of health-management facilities in the country’s
most schools. It hampers their natural growth, both mental and physical. Experts of relevant field said it is highly important for the girls to get appropriate knowledge and information on menstrual hygiene. Side by side, it’s also important for them to get access to secure and decorous heath management.
To include female health related issues, including monthly menstruation management, insemination and sexual health, and other technical aspects of life in the textbook curriculum; a platform comprising 35 local and international non-government organizations along with UNICEF, BRAC, WaterAid, ICDDR’B, BNPS, are working in a coordinated project, named “Ritu”.
It is seen that only 12 per cent of girls reportedly get access to female-only toilets with water, soap available and waste bins. According to sources, only 36 per cent girls in Bangladesh have got knowledge about proper and hygienic health management on menstrual cycle.
In the educational institutions, the poor facilities contribute to girls missing classes during menstruation, and the number is 75 per cent. About 53 per cent girls are found absent during menstruation for an average of three days during each cycle. In some areas, the girls have to go home to change the materials they use to manage their menstruation, resulting in losing school time.
The scenario is almost same in many countries. Among 145 countries with data, primary school access to basic sanitation facilities was below 50 per cent in 28 countries, 17 of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Only limited data are available on whether girls have separate facilities, let alone whether the facilities are functional or well maintained. In only 9 of 44 countries did more than 75 per cent of primary schools have single-sex facilities; in Benin and Comoros, under 5 per cent of schools had single-sex facilities. An estimated one in ten African girls misses school during menstruation.
Expressing dissatisfaction, prominent Gynecologist Dr Israt Zahan Ila said, “It’s a natural heath process and so, the girls must get all sorts of cooperation from their family, school, and society. There is nothing to hide. The girls obviously should not face any cultural obstruction at that time. The state should take responsibility to ensure adequate health facilities for the girls taking the issue of menstruation in a positive way.”
Menstruation is a natural process in every girl’s body which deals with her private body organs and sexuality. But inadequate sanitation and other related facilities for girls during menstruation have been creating a negative impact on their overall health condition.
The girl students face severe problem at this physical stage due to lack of health-management facilities in the country’s
most schools. It hampers their natural growth, both mental and physical. Experts of relevant field said it is highly important for the girls to get appropriate knowledge and information on menstrual hygiene. Side by side, it’s also important for them to get access to secure and decorous heath management.
To include female health related issues, including monthly menstruation management, insemination and sexual health, and other technical aspects of life in the textbook curriculum; a platform comprising 35 local and international non-government organizations along with UNICEF, BRAC, WaterAid, ICDDR’B, BNPS, are working in a coordinated project, named “Ritu”.
It is seen that only 12 per cent of girls reportedly get access to female-only toilets with water, soap available and waste bins. According to sources, only 36 per cent girls in Bangladesh have got knowledge about proper and hygienic health management on menstrual cycle.
In the educational institutions, the poor facilities contribute to girls missing classes during menstruation, and the number is 75 per cent. About 53 per cent girls are found absent during menstruation for an average of three days during each cycle. In some areas, the girls have to go home to change the materials they use to manage their menstruation, resulting in losing school time.
The scenario is almost same in many countries. Among 145 countries with data, primary school access to basic sanitation facilities was below 50 per cent in 28 countries, 17 of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Only limited data are available on whether girls have separate facilities, let alone whether the facilities are functional or well maintained. In only 9 of 44 countries did more than 75 per cent of primary schools have single-sex facilities; in Benin and Comoros, under 5 per cent of schools had single-sex facilities. An estimated one in ten African girls misses school during menstruation.
Expressing dissatisfaction, prominent Gynecologist Dr Israt Zahan Ila said, “It’s a natural heath process and so, the girls must get all sorts of cooperation from their family, school, and society. There is nothing to hide. The girls obviously should not face any cultural obstruction at that time. The state should take responsibility to ensure adequate health facilities for the girls taking the issue of menstruation in a positive way.”
