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    • Opinion
    • Menstrual hygiene management

    Opinion: 4 ways to address menstrual stigmas, taboos and discrimination

    The death of a 15-year-old Nepali girl highlights the need for integrated solutions to address menstrual discrimination. Here are four ideas from Darren Saywell and Caitlin Gruer of Plan International USA.

    By Darren Saywell, Caitlin Gruer // 24 January 2017

    Like many news outlets, CNN ran a report on Dec. 22 reporting on the death of a 15-year-old Nepali girl. Smoke inhalation is all too common a problem in confined spaces where indoor cooking stoves are used. Rather, it was the location — a menstrual hut — and the fact that the girl from western Nepal was taking part in chhaupadi. This is a common practice in some parts of Nepal where women, considered “unclean” during menstruation, are ritually separated from the rest of the community for the duration of their period. 

    This was the second such death within a month in this far western part of Nepal. While the absolute numbers of deaths are low — notwithstanding the tragedy of each individual case — the wider issue at stake here is the systematic exclusion of girls and women from society. Exclusion from education. From health care. From access to basic services. From opportunity. All over something as biologically familiar as menstruation.

    Chhaupadi is only one example of the many cultural practices that discriminate against women and girls during menstruation. In a recent listicle, Plan International USA highlighted the wide-ranging sets of beliefs surrounding menstruation across the globe. The list was a powerful reminder that stigmas and taboos combine in all societies in ways that create and reinforce harmful social norms. Tellingly, the listicle included examples of taboos from relatively prosperous countries such as South Africa and even right here in the U.S., emphasizing the point that this is not just an issue for countries undergoing rapid economic development.

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    • Global Health
    • Social/Inclusive Development
    • Nepal
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    The views in this opinion piece do not necessarily reflect Devex's editorial views.

    About the authors

    • Darren Saywell

      Darren Saywell

      Darren Saywell heads the WASH program at Plan International USA. He has 20 years operational, research, consultancy and teaching experience and has previously held positions at the Water, Engineering and Development Center in the United Kingdom, the World Health Organization and the International Water Association. In October 2011, he was nominated as the vice-chair for Sanitation and Water for All.
    • Caitlin Gruer

      Caitlin Gruer

      Caitlin Gruer is a senior program associate at Plan International USA, where she works as part of the water, sanitation and health practice. Her work focuses on menstrual hygiene management, sustainable WASH programming, and the intersection between WASH and nutrition. She has a master's in global health and sociomedical sciences from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. She currently lives in Washington, D.C.

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