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Girls Shall Grow, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has debunked some traditional beliefs associated with menstruation, saying it is neither a myth nor a taboo but rather a natural phenomenon.
It said the misconception among some traditional settings called for an intense and sustained education among young girls. "In some cases they are not even allowed to go to school, cook or even mingle with people.”
"This phenomenon can be attributed to many factors including lack or inadequacy of knowledge, myths or beliefs and misconceptions about menstruation and it's for this reason we have to increase awareness and education on menstrual hygiene," the Executive Director of Girls Shall Grow, Louisa Amoah, said.
She was speaking at a symposium organised by the NGO in association with the Student Representative Council (SRC) Women's commission of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Obuasi campus, to mark the 2024 World Menstrual Hygiene Day in Obuasi.
Mrs Amoah bemoaned the level of stigmatisation and misconceptions associated with menstruation. She said menstruation was a natural process experienced by all adolescent girls hence should not be treated as a taboo.
She encouraged the girls to be confident and speak out against all forms of maltreatment encountered during menstruation. The symposium brought together about 300 students from KNUST- Obuasi campus, Junior High and Senior High schools in Obuasi as well as health personnel to share their opinions on how to maintain menstrual hygiene.
Menstrual health is a fundamental aspect of human rights, dignity, and public health. Menstrual Hygiene Day, observed annually on May 28, is dedicated to breaking taboos and raising awareness of the importance of good menstrual hygiene management.
This year's theme is: "Together for a period friendly world." Mrs Amoah said the theme was spot on stressing that it was about time issues of menstruation were demystified and made an open subject for all to discuss.
The Obuasi East District Health Director, Dr Enyonam Kwawukume, educated the girls on menstrual hygiene and advised those who were sexually active to know their menstrual cycle so that they do not get pregnant.
The women's commissioner of KNUST-Obuasi campus, Claudia Owusu Amoh, appealed to government to intervene by making sanitary pads accessible to girls in school. "Now the cost factor in getting sanitary pads has become a challenge for parents.
"While the government looks at bringing the cost down, I am suggesting that it can give out free sanitary pads to school girls just as we do for books and uniforms," she appealed.
