November 2022 – Women's Center

By Megan Lockhart

500 million people lack access to menstrual products and hygiene facilities and 16.9 million people who menstruate in the US are living in poverty.

“Period poverty” is being unable to afford products such as pads, tampons, or liners to manage menstrual bleeding. This can result in people who menstruate having to use rags, toilet paper, cardboard, grass, or paper towels. These items may also be unsanitary which can lead to infection and poor health. People may also use their products for extended periods of time so they do not have to use as much product. Period poverty also encompasses the lack of access to hygiene facilities such as hand washing facilities, toilets, and waste management/disposal sites for your hygiene products.

There is also a lot of stigma surrounding menstruating and periods in many communities and countries. The main stigma surrounding periods is that it is dirty, and this causes many people who menstruate to feel embarrassed or ashamed of their periods. This only makes menstruating and providing resources to menstruate safely an even harder topic to talk about and tackle. Stigma plays a significant role in why this crisis has not yet been addressed. Instead of seeing menstruation as a medically healthy and normal process, stigma equates it with filth and disgust. Due to the stigma around periods, discussions concerning product accessibility, the tampon tax, and even the ingredients in our pads and tampons are avoided.

“Access to menstrual products is a right, and feeling clean, confident, and capable during one’s period is a necessity. We can all work toward menstrual equity, and the opportunities are boundless.”

Period poverty and stigmas especially affect low-income people and low-income countries. Young people who menstruate are often required to miss numerous days of school or perhaps quit school altogether when they have their period in various nations (including Kenya and Uganda). Young people who menstruate are denied the right to an education as a result, and this frequently affects the rest of their lives. Another study discovered disturbing instances of sexual exploitation when women and girls were made to have transactional sexual behavior in order to get sanitary pads in rural western Kenya, where 63% of the population makes less than $1 per day. Although it was uncommon, 10% of 15-year-olds did report it.

One of the main ways to start fighting this epidemic is to fight the stigmas and stereotypes that are perpetuated regarding periods. Fighting these stigmas can help open doors for conversations to be had regarding resources to allow people who menstruate to do so safely. Another phenomenal example of how to make a change is shown in the documentary, Period End of Sentence. The short documentary follows a group of local women in Hapur, India, as they learn to make and run a machine that produces inexpensive, biodegradable sanitary napkins that they then sell to other women for a reasonable price. This contributes to the economic future of their society while also assisting in improving feminine hygiene by giving access to basic supplies and supporting/empowering women to break India’s taboos surrounding menstruation. Another way to help provide access to menstrual products is by supporting local movements that have projects focused on this issue.

-Gerald Jerin

Religion is a large part of people’s lives. For some, it is their way to connect with the metaphysical the best that they can. For others, it gives their lives purpose, giving them something to strive for, something to get up for every day and be a good person. However, for a lot of people in the Middle East, they do not have a choice on whether they want to live a life this way. “Morality police,” as they call them, patrol and make sure that people follow the country of Iran’s national religion, Islam. Islamic tradition implies a lot of things that happen in day-to-day life, especially for Islamic women. Some examples of this would be marriage rules, in which they are not allowed to flirt or talk to men that are not selected by their parents, they must stay modest in everyday life, regarding their dress, the way they speak and in terms of what kind of education they receive, as they must learn things in order to raise and teach children. This way of life has been centered around male superiority for centuries, and women that choose to break these norms are usually outcasted, or beaten, or overall shunned by those that follow Islam traditionally. However, the morality police have taken that a step further recently, as a group of them caught a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in public without her Hijab. This does violate Islamic tradition for women in terms of their modesty, a woman’s husband is the only man who is supposed to see an Islamic woman’s hair, however, the action that the morality police took was beyond extreme, as she passed away after being detained and aggressively beaten by the police, according to eyewitnesses. The Law Enforcement Command of Islamic Republic of Iran attempted to deny this, claiming that she was taken to the hospital and passed of a heart attack there, however, the eyewitness, paired with an autopsy that showed brain bleeding to be the true cause of death, did not allow this to sit very long.

That was well over a month ago, September 16, 2022, to be exact, but the fall out has been overwhelming. A nationwide protest began in the wake of her death, a national uprising for the sake of women’s rights in Iran. Her death was not the start, there had been smaller protests before, notably in 2019, 2017, and 2009, however, this has seemingly pushed it over the edge. The murder of this woman, who hurt no one, stole nothing, and overall committed no real crime, was enough to finally light a fire under those that were tired of the obvious oppression of women in this social structure. The protest, which is still active, has seen some 14,000+ people arrested and 277+ people reported dead. It is estimated that 1000 of those 14,000 people will be going on trial soon, some (if not most) facing the death penalty. These arrests and deaths are not only women, but they are also men, lawyers, and seemingly anyone who acts or speaks out against the unforgiving tyranny of the Iranian government. This is no longer about the forced wearing of hijabs, this is no longer about just the death of an innocent woman, this is about total governmental reform, and there is no clear end in sight.

Although this situation seems bleak, there are ways that people can help. President Biden has already addressed the matter and claimed that we are standing with the protestors in their fight for human rights. On a personal level, a lot of help that people can provide is through money, volunteer work, and keeping the matter relevant. In terms of money and time volunteering, the “Iranian American Women Foundation” takes donations as a nonprofit to help their fight for gender equity, and “United for Iran,” and the “Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran” are doing the same. They are fighting the right fight, and need financial assistance, now more than ever. In terms of keeping the situation relevant, the Iranian government has been trying very hard to keep the whole situation under wraps and quiet. In fact, a couple of weeks ago they claimed that the protests were over, although that has been rapidly disproven, with people taking to social media as well as news outlets getting into contact with people that are not spokesmen of the government itself. So, to help, post about it. Post these nonprofits, post about your thoughts, and make sure that the Iranian government understands that the world is watching. The fight for change has begun, and hopefully, it will end in reform and equality for those impacted.

Resources

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/how-to-help-iranian-women-and-girls-amid-ongoing-protests – How to Help

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/teach/muslims/beliefs.html – Islamic Beliefs and Practice

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/03/middleeast/iran-protests-arrests-united-nations-intl/index.html – CNN Speaking on the arrests

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/13/middleeast/iran-protests-national-uprising-cmd-intl/index.html – CNN Speaking on the beginning of the protests

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Mahsa_Amini – What law Enforcement said as well as citing years of the previous protests