A public health problem to be aware of

There are many fears in the world when it comes to talking about menstruation. Typically, girls and teens receive information only until the moment of menstruation (the first menstruation), which affects their Understand a woman’s body and its hormonal, physical, psychological, and even social changes.

A natural process of the female body in which it is necessary to provide information and, above all, change the perception around it. According to the World Bank in its article, The high cost of being a woman in the developing worldit is estimated that in the world, Two out of five girls of menstruating age miss an average of five school days a month because schools lack the necessary facilities. This means they don’t have enough bathrooms or menstrual sanitary products, so there is school dropout during this natural process.

Colombia is not a country with positive numbers when it comes to hygiene and menstrual health. According to the study Menstrual hygiene in school girls in rural Colombian Pacific: Choco Bagado, Cauca Santander de Quilechao, Nariño Ibiales From the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), In rural Colombia, 34.8% of respondents stated that they knew nothing about menstruation before their first period, while 45% did not know or did not answer where their menstrual bleeding came from.

According to the April 2022 Pulse Country Survey, conducted by DANE, on average, 7.4% of women in the country have had to suspend or interrupt their regular work, school, or home activities because of their menstrual period.

For its part, Bogota, the capital of the country, scored 10.8%, and Armenia 21.6%, and the capital was the most affected by this aspect in the country. It was followed by Villavicencio with 12.8%, Ibague with 17.7%, Pasto with 13.9%, and Tonga with 13.4%. evenly, By April 2022, 13.5% of women in the country had experienced financial difficulties in obtaining items to attend their period, such as sanitary pads or tampons.

Various NGOs and government institutions are working on options that can bring girls and young people closer to menstrual health and good hygiene. For example, in Colombia, a menstrual hygiene bill was drafted, led by Senator Angelica Lozano, to ensure proper menstrual hygiene management for girls and adolescent girls in contexts of vulnerability and poverty, ensuring sanitary pads, tampons, menstrual cups, and absorbent underwear Menstrual tablet, among others.

There are also CSR campaigns on caring for women’s health, promoting girls’ and teenage girls’ access to menstrual products and carrying out educational activities, through women’s empowerment and nurturing.

Always, which donates sanitary napkins in Latin America, conducted a study in Brazil, which found that “lack of resources to manage their menstrual cycle hurt the confidence of 51% of those surveyed. In addition, it caused 37% of them to feel ashamed”, according to the Acis portal. .

Similarly, in Argentina, for example, 12 “bills have been proposed at the national and local level (many under the #Menstruaction campaign) that contemplate the provision of these goods for free in public institutions (such as schools, hospitals, prisons, universities or shelters, among others). other things) such as the abolition of Value Added Tax (known as Value Added Tax)”, as recorded by the World Bank.

For its part, the United Nations estimates that 1 in 10 girls “absent from school during menstruation. Existing myths can cause many of them to feel ashamed and conflicted in their development, empowerment and exercise of their rights, such as access to education,” the media adds.

All this draws the attention of various entities and institutions to set their eyes on a public health problem that will continue to exist, as minors and adults will continue to menstruate normally, which needs laws. that protects and educates girls and facilitates access to essential personal hygiene items.