Telling them what they need to know

Gurnaaz Kaur

Social and cultural taboos, superstitions, lack of awareness on menstrual hygiene, unavailability of pads and other materials to deal with periods, no access to toilets. These are not the issues faced by girls of some faraway villages;  the issues are not uncommon even in a city like Chandigarh as well. 

An NGO, Sanjh Jagori, has been working on spreading awareness on menstrual and reproductive health and general wellbeing of girls since 2006. These women activists have not only been educating girls but also young boys about puberty and how to deal with it. This seven-member team has collaborated with teachers of colleges and schools, students, anganwari workers, police officers and protection officers. 

In the last one year, they have been educating the students of classes VIII to XII in government schools. “In any given session at these schools, the most asked questions range between, ‘Why is there pain during periods’? ‘Is menstrual blood unclean’? ‘Is touching holy books and idols during periods wrong’? ‘How to cure porn addiction?’ ‘Does masturbation cause pimples’? ‘Do boys become friends only for sex’?” says Iqbal Judge, a member of the NGO. Such experiences made her initiate a petition on Change.Org to the Chandigarh Administration to make MAHA (Menstrual and Adolescent Health Awareness) mandatory for boys and girls from Class VIII onwards in the government schools of the city.

Distributing pads may help the girl students for a year or two, but scientific knowledge about their bodies and importance of menstrual hygiene will stay with them forever. 

“Puberty brings in radical physical, mental and emotional changes in young girls and boys. However, preparing these children to cross the threshold from childhood to youth has been mostly neglected,” says Iqbal. “The emergence of secondary sexual characteristics, sudden upsurge of hormones, onset of menstruation in girls, and night emissions in boys often leave them confused, embarrassed and even traumatised. Aggravating the problem further is the reluctance of parents and elders in talking about these changes, enforcing a plethora of injunctions and taboos, largely based on superstition or orthodox and discriminatory cultural practices.”

But someone has to initiate a conversation on the issues of puberty to help adolescent boys and girls attain sound physical and emotional health. Sanjh Jagori does that by holding awareness and sensitisation sessions with students. 

Jyoti Seth, professor of sociology at the Sector 42 Government College, a founding member of the NGO, says over 1,000 boys and girls have been sensitised in the last one year. “We explain the physical changes at puberty and the menstrual process. Discussions and videos focusing on attitudinal change about healthy and unhealthy relationships, right to consent, dealing with rejection, good and bad touch, sexual harassment, etc., form part of the sessions with each class,” says Jyoti. “The aim is to sensitise youth, especially boys, to imbibe the values of humanity, care and respect for themselves and others.”

Of course, menstrual care products, understanding the use of tampons, menstrual cups, breaking the myth around the use of cloth pads, explaining the right use of it, etc., form essential part of their method. But, most importantly, this NGO believes in highlighting the emotional and social health of boys and girls, and equipping them with information about their bodies.