Pretoria - Puberty Education and Menstrual Hygiene Management, the ninth publication in the Unesco series Good Policy and Practice in Health Education, seeks to help overcome the ignorance and shame millions of girls feel.
Puberty is a time of change for all young people, but it is particularly challenging to girls. Far too many girls are unprepared for menstruation.
In fact, in some parts of the world, two out of three girls reported having no idea of what was happening to them when they began menstruating.
This can have many negative effects on their physical and emotional development, leading to a drop in self-esteem and poor performance at school.
According to some studies, for example that of Oxford University in Ghana, 95 percent of girls reported sometimes missing school because of menstruation; and research in Ethiopia showed that 39 percent of girls reported reduced performance at school for the same reason.
Often the lack of adequate toilet facilities at school, combined with fear and embarrassment, further contribute to their disengagement from education at this crucial time in their lives.
“Girls who are afraid to go to school during menstruation have fewer chances of growing up to be fully empowered women,” argues Irina Bokova, the director-general of Unesco.
“This publication is an important step in mobilising the necessary global support for equality between girls and boys in education.
“We must mobilise educators, policy-makers, NGOs and the private sector to support puberty education and menstrual hygiene management, an indispensable element in efforts to achieve gender equality and access to good education for all learners.
“An estimated 50 million girls enter puberty every year.
“This is a critical life stage where they acquire fundamentals for hygiene management, develop self-esteem, and build up confidence,” says Edgar Sandoval, vice-president, global feminine care, Procter & Gamble.
“We believe that no girl should have to lose confidence during puberty. The Always brand has been active for over 30 years providing puberty education to millions of young people around the world.
“This partnership with Unesco is enabling us to broaden the significant difference we are making to the lives of young girls today, the women of tomorrow.”
The publication identifies ways for all partners to work together on puberty education and menstrual hygiene management starting in primary school.
It also provides clear recommendations on what is required to remove the stigma associated with menstruation and offer opportunities to all girls to grow up to become fully empowered women. – Procter & Gamble