Dear Friends from AHF, Steering committee members and national coordinators of GSCDM, executive committee and members of DMC Nepal, Media and all participants who are joining here and online from all around the globe,
Namaste, Salam Alekam, Good morning, good afternoon and good evening!
A big applaud to you all. We unite over 56 countries for
ending violence against women and girls.
On behalf of AHF and GSCDM, I would extend our sincere thanks
and gratitude to each of you for your presence and commitment for amplify the voice
of dignified menstruation for ending the violence against women and girls with
all diversities and all settings.
Here, I would like to remember our activists, leaders within
all diversities who fought relentlessly against the violence and created such safe
space for us.
However, this space is not enough as we deserved.
Two days before, I was watching the UN’s official
commemoration of 16 days activism, held in New York.
I was moved with the data of family violence or intimate
partner violence. In 2021, 45,000 women were killed by their intimate partners.
From here, I challenge to UN- such deaths partially because
of you. Because we never ever considered menstrual discrimination as violence which
is mostly invisible, complex, multifaceted and considered private business.
We, including UN, academia, donors, and every actor who are
working for ending violence against violence against girls, women, transmen,
and queer, we all must transform our self at first. Menstrual discrimination, which is mostly
invisible and takes place in private spare, is not only violence but also cause
and effect for many visible and invisible violence.
If we would start to talk or dialogue about dignified
menstruation NOW, I repeat NOW, we can prevent many forms of sexual and gender
based violence everywhere including HIV or gender pay gaps. We can smash the
patriarchy and we can build gender equal society.
I gently remind to each of you NOT to repeat the mistakes.
Since I started to speak, 28 girls get married already
globally. Who is responsible for it? Who will reflect the impact of our decades
of activism?
As we deserve the dignified menstruation, we are responsible
for take action for it too.
Let’s mark the 8th December, 4th international
Dignified Menstruation with joy and pride.
Again, I would like to thank each of you, AHF family, family
of GSCDM, DMC Nepal and special thanks to Mogul Media, Deepak, Loretta, Jin,
Sapna, Lal, Sharmila and Aakirti.
Let’s unite now and forever for dignified menstruation.
By this note, I close this press conference and looking
forward to seeing you on 8th December.
I thank you.
