Know about you and what inspired your work on dignified menstruation
and menopause
Namaste, god morgan, good morning, good afternoon and good evening
Thank you so much for having me. On behalf of GSCDM, I am
humbled and honored.
·
Today, people call me as Former anesthetic Nurse, converted
as Author, activist and founder for global network called global south coalition
for dignified menstruation
· Regards to inspiration: Its about four decade’s long struggle, pain and passion though I grouped in three levels.
ü Childhood
History:
o At the age
of 7, or 40 years back, I was deeply traumatize by knowing the menstruation
that it is sin from god therefore, needed to follow restrictions and you would
have same once you grown up.
o At the age
of 9 years, I ran away from home for committing suicide because I did not like
to live as girl child, an impure and unwanted baby.
o At the age
of 14 age, I had first menstruation, I ran away from home again for avoiding
all restrictions what my three sisters and mother were followed.
o Later at
the age of 15, I went to nurse school where I enlightened and started to speak
on menstruation.
ü Learned
from failures and mistakes:
o Earlier
days of menstrual journey, I also thought that menstruation is a matter of
hygiene. I worked so hard but the thing were not changed. Meanwhile, when I
started to do visited various parts with diverse ethnic groups in Nepal and
outside.
o I learned
that menstrual discrimination is everywhere across the globe at different name,
forms and magnitude.
o The
underlying cause of impurity that leads silence, ignorance, fear, resistance.
o More
importantly, I knew that it was not only five days bleeding. It’s matter of
life cycle of menstrurator.
o The current
GESI or Gender and Social Inclusion policy did not address the menstrual discrimination.
And menstrual discrimination is a political and human right concern.
o It’s a
matter of dignity. Each menstrurator deserved the dignity throughout life
cycles within identities.
ü Misinterpretation
of stories from ground:
o In Nepal, In
2017, government of Nepal developed the policy on dignified menstruation which
was most innovative and holistic approach. But the people and organizations who
were there for policy drafting they did not talk about dignified menstruation
at all even while conducting international conference.
o At Global
level, I observed misinterpretation of menstrual issues and stories at the name
of funds and expertise which were not true. Even the UN and other big
organizations are not seeing the menstrual discrimination is underlying cause
for constructing patriarchy and violence at home and everywhere.
o In this connection,
I wanted to change the narrative in order to change the world. Despite having zero
funds, and having pain and passion, I determined and amplify the campaign on
dignified menstruation.
Dignified Menstruation and Dignified menopause
o Here, let
me conclude that the dignified menstruation is a state of freefrom all forms of
stigma, taboos, shyness, restrictions, abuses, discriminations associated with menstrurators
throughout their life within all identities.
o That means
DM is matter of womb to tomb. Thus, the dignified menopause is element of DM. I
always believe that dignified menstruation equals to dignified menopause. Its
two sides of coin.
o Unfortunately,
the menstruation and menopause is not priority of stakeholders. If we compare
in two phenomena, I saw bit positivity or
excitement towards menstruation for the sake of marriage and baby but menopause
is totally hiding under the shadow.
o No matter
whether it is natural or chemical and surgical menopause, the journey might not
guaranty for smooth landing. In other words, some of them have the harassed
life where they intended to quit their life. The partner, family and workplace
must acknowledge and work around it.
o I am
further inspired for dignified menopause because of my two sisters had surgical
menopause and they had tough life after surgery. Merely the silence on
dignified menopause. It is human right, not a privilege thus every one
including government should take accountability for it.
o In this
connection, I we have been working on dignified menopause a part of dignified menstruation
umbrella framework.
o To amplify
the voice of dignified menopause, on the 3rd International Dignified
menstruation Day, 8th December, Together with friends Helen and Sarah
from Scotland and England, GCSDM will be hosting the summit on dignified
menopause.
o Just finished
the translation of book called surgical menopause in Nepali we would launch by
8th International Dignified Menstruation day.
2. The actual work you are doing
o I am
working 24/7 for dignified menstruation at national and global level simultaneously.
Due to lack of funds, I could not ask others to ask for anything.
o Primarily I
am focusing on two levels:
National level:
o Strengthened
the campaign called dignified menstruation Nepal where 40 fellows from 12
organizations who represent all provinces, working around dignified
menstruation.
o As a think
tank member for ministry of Women, Children and Senior citizen, Continuously working
for incorporate the DM as cross cutting concern
o Also engaged
as expert for other ministries such as Ministry of Health, Education , water
supply and forest and environment
o Speaking
engagements with media, CSOs, youth clubs, networks etc.
International Level:
o Expand the
networks for GSCDM, here, I also call to every listener to visit our website www.dignifiedmenstruation.org and get membership. It is free and less than a
minute work
o Continue engaged
on educating the friends/organizations, build leadership on dignified
menstruation
o Conduct research
and publication – child marriage and menstrual discrimination
o Speaking
engagement in Universities, CSOs, UN, Global Networks and everywhere wherever
possible
o Published
books and contribute in book chapters, journals
3. The challenges and the breakthroughs
I am experiencing challenges since I started to hear about
menstruation. But the nature of challenges are changing.
·
Zero funding –
Since the DM is innovative and holistic approach. We
need to produce the evidences, pilots for educational models, publications etc.
But it is heavily compromised due to zero funding.
For example, the dignified menstruation friendly
workplace has significant relationship with economic empowerment. In the
absence of dignified menstruation friendly workplace, neither the young
menstrurator who is menatruarting nor adult menstrurator who is approaching pre
menopause or menopause could work with decent manner. I am sure that the dignified
menstruation has connection with GDP. Unfortunately, no one see this is an
important concern. It is one of the goal out of 17 SDGs, under the global
slogan, leave no one behind.
Usually, global funding organizations formed such
coalition and operate as their interest where there is enough fund and other
resources. In Nepal and globally, few of the funders know about us but yet to
accept us as leader. In other hand, we also trying to submit proposals where we
failed to comply there criteria regards to financial transactions. We bring the
impact at global level but we can’t demonstrate the audit reports with high
volumes.
·
Resistance –
1. As I said
earlier, DM itself innovative approach in the discourse of human right,
development and feminism. Since 2017, we exclusively started to speak about DM
in Nepal and globally. Many organizations which are working around menstrual
hygiene or SRHR or empowerment, they yet to accept the urgency of dignified menstruation.
2. The
organizations who are working around menstrual hygiene, they still do not
accept that the menstrual pad or toilet or water is important but not guarantee
the dignity.
3. Likewise,
organizations which are working on women empowerment or peace, they yet to acknowledge
that the undignified menstruation is the source for power and patriarchy.
4. The
organization who are working around SRHR also only focus on physiological descriptions
of menstruation but not considering the complex nature of menstruation and its negative
consequences throughout the life cycle of menstrurator.
5. There is
clear cut cold war or tug of war between the organizations who are working on
DM and not. For instance, my name from speaker’s list erased just 24 hours
before the program which was confirmed 2 weeks before. The donor who is working
for water and hygiene, asked me to delete my speaking engagement, the organizer
shared.
·
Blaming, pulling
Laugh ……..Every day, myself and my team blamed because
we are working for dollars, we are disruptor of culture, anti-Hinduism etc.
Also experienced blaming every day. Just currently, I
am heavily under attack from few media people, artist, and parliamentarian because
I questioned them.
·
Threatening
Often I received the life killing threaten because I
am speaking about dignified menstruation from religious people and big NGOs who
have money.
4. The future including the work of the Global South
Coalition
o I believed that
My future of DM journey is very bright at personal level and GSCDM
o I will be
finishing my PhD very soon.
o Another
book on DM for girls with NeuroDevelopmental disorders are on the way
o The translated
version of Surgical menopause on the way
o Dignified menopause
global summit on the way
o Globally,
many stakeholders who are working around GBV, Human right, SRHR they are tired
and looking for the new strategies. They would accept the Dignified Menstruation
as new strategy to overcome the pending issues.
o Because the
menstrual discrimination constructs and shape power and patriarchy which is new
shift on a course of human right, development and feminism globally. Now, they
are denial phase but will understand soon and the world would be more dignified
to all menstrurators within all identities
