Menstruation has been a problematic word in most households. From some houses isolating girl children on their period by making them reside and sleep in outcast huts and balconies on their period to depriving them of hygiene on their sensitive days, the list of harsh treatments is heart wrenching. Several stories about how women and young girls have died during storms and fires when they were left out have always stained our newspapers. A lot of misconceptions and superstitions have been ruling the minds of families who make women live in harsh conditions to maintain ‘cleanliness and purity’ in their house hold. Some villages believe, women on their period, if touched a pickle, the pickle would rot. Some people believe, women touching anything in the house during their period would make it impure.

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However, on the other end, there are activists who are constantly trying to help these women get out webs of patriarchal rules that are unfit for the current era. Now to address the bigger problem that actually deserves all the attention, menstrual hygiene is a concept that everyone needs to be educated with. In India alone, over 23 million women drop out of school after having their first period. This is majorly because they believe that it is too much of a task to travel around with an actively functioning menstrual cycle. Adding to the misery is the lack of popularity of sanitary pads and tampons among the rural crowd, where women resort to using cloth materials which further lead to health complications due to bad hygiene. Having said that, it is extremely important to break these ‘disciplinary rules of purity’ that revolves around periods, by helping men and women understand the actual science behind it.

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Earlier, during the onset of civilised living, women were asked to sit aside during their period because they were prescribed complete rest. These women would take 5 days to take care of themselves without going around much. Given that back then women were mostly home makers, their territory was the house and she didn’t have to work at home. The practice slowly improvised to fit into the patriarchal society and began to sound like women were isolated because they were dirty during their period and it was a safer practice to outcast them during their time of the month.

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Even though most people have come to understand the importance of safety, comfort and hygiene during menstruation, we still have a long way to go to see a world free of period taboos. Let’s make health a priority. Periods aren’t conditions to be ashamed of. The nature of a fertile woman is what a period indicates. And the evolutionary purpose of our species is to reproduce. Let’s not forget, girls run the world. Don’t kill them before they have a chance to test it.