Panelist for University of Arizona, USA October 18, 21.45 Nepal Time
Questions/ Theme:
1) Why did you choose Menstruation
Advocacy
·
Before answering your question, I would like to
take this opportunity to congratulate all activist all around the globe who
speak up for Menopause and like to express my commitment to work for Dignified
Menopause as well. Today is the International Menopause Day.
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My Menstrual Advocacy is purely organic. It is
started from childhood with pain or trauma. About 40 years before, when I was 7
years old, I learned that the menstruation is curse from god and my three
sisters and mother were following restrictions during menstruation. Since then
I was so much traumatized.
·
I do not like to live a single minute as a girl
child. Every moment, I was thinking to die. At the age of 9 years, I left home
for committing suicide.
·
When I was about 14 years old, I had first
menstruation, I ran away from house to avoid all restrictions what my mother
and sisters were doing.
2.
What do your advocacy methods entail?
·
Due to more than three decades of experience, my
way of advocacy also evolved along with my journey. The mode of advocacy
depends upon the context or what kind of audience I was working with or what
was the goal I was seeking for.
·
In short, I have been engaging at various
levels: at local, national and global level through research, training, writings,
and evidence based policy advocacy. I founded the Global South Coalition for
Dignified Menstruation for critically reflecting our past around menstrual
activism and moving towards dignity during menstruation.
2) What is menstruation advocacy
according to each panelist and why do they believe this is a human rights
question?
·
I myself is changing a lot within a course of my
menstrual activism. I am learning every day. However, the core theme is
remained always same no matter whether I was 7 years old or now? That is
dignity. Dignity during menstruation or dignified menstruation. Each
menstrurators deserve dignity during menstruation.
·
To me,
At macro level, menstrual advocacy is acknowledge the existence of this
human kind or universe.
At micro level, each menstrurators, should live without any forms of
taboos, stigma, restrictions, or discrimination that associated with
menstruation throughout life.
Menstrual Advocacy is Human Right Questions in many ways:
·
I prefer to discuss in two ways:
1.
From the perspective of impacts of the menstrual
practices:
2.
From the perspective of Human right what
globally we believe
From the perspective
of impacts of the menstrual practices:
ü
Globally, regardless of class, caste, religion,
region, menstrual blood considered as impure, disgusting or discomfort.
ü
Because of that perception, there are so many
restrictions during menstruation with different names, forms, degrees and
visibility.
ü
Here, menstrual practice plays a vital role to
construct and shape the power since childhood. Girls considered as impure,
powerless, inferior or disadvantages and
ü
As a result, globally, more girls and women
victimized at home by known men
ü
In other words, the sexual abuse, intimate
partner violence or child marriage of unsafe abortion has significant
relationship with menstrual impurity or practice.
ü
As UN declared, either sexual abuse or intimate
partner violence of child marriage is a form of violence against girl and women
or violation of human right.
ü
This is an example only, menstruation is complex
and multifaceted natural phenomena has negatively impact both menstrurators
life as well as entire society and planet in many ways.
From the perspective of Human right what globally we believe
ü
Simply, any form of taboos or stigma or
restrictions or discrimination is violation of human right.
ü
Often we trapped the death cases either in Nepal
or Kenya directly associated with menstrual shaming. But we do not see every day’s suffering of
each menstrurators. Without having confidence on menstruation, how is it
possible to seek health service for unsafe abortion or family planning
contraceptive or decide the marriage or child bearing. Even today, we all
trapped over the cloud and do not ready to handle the underlying cause of violation
of human right indeed.
3) Radha: Can she share a little
about the practice of chaupadi?
ü
Before talking chhaupadi, let me talk about the
greetings. As a Nepali, I greet by saying Namaste, you say good morning and a
German speaker would say gurton morgan, Italaina would say Bonjourna etc.
ü
As exactly like this, chhaupadi is a local
saying for the menstrual restriction in some parts of west Nepal.
ü
The bottom line principle is separation during
menstruation. It is practicing everywhere across Nepal. Somewhere live in the
separate hut, somewhere live in separate floor, somewhere live in separate room
or separate corner if they have only one room for rental.
ü
Often media picked up these cases for their
popularity not for helping menstrurators empowerment. Because the menstrurators
are suffering each moment by many ways due to menstruation but this is not
priority for media.
6) How
did you all overcome personal shame and stigma toward the topic? Or were you
always open minded about it?
ü
I have already shared bit.
ü
At the age of 16, I was enlightened when I knew
the physiology and essence of menstruation at Nursing college
ü
I started to speak up at family and community
where I lived or worked.
ü
I do everything as regular during menstruation
including participating at death rituals.
ü
Due to my pain, passion and experience, I am
very strategic while choosing the methodology to engage for dialogue on
dignified menstruation.
8)
Biggest obstacles? How to get through to people that are not open to having
these conversations and see menstruation as a taboo topic?
ü
The deep level of ignorance and silence around
dignified menstruation is key challenge
ü
Myself and my core team members were threatened
in many ways even today a.
ü
Last two months course, four talking engagement
were cancelled due to my specialization on dignified menstruation
