#HappyToBleed

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Yes menstruation. You figured it right, that’s what I’m talking about. No, it is not, a taboo, a dirty subject, a process that girls should feel ashamed of because it is- “socially incorrect” , a topic that people can’t discuss openly and respectfully, a truth that girls need to hide or something that men should not know about. I assure you guys, it’s not an embarrassing subject at all and I know that some people might feel uneasy because I’m posting about this topic, but we need to discuss openly about this subject to be able to tackle various issues related to menstruation and gender inequality.

Long ago, women and girls had to face endless troubles when they were having their menses. They were isolated, treated as witches or received very bad treatment. Nowadays, all the myths about periods have been busted thanks to Science. But somewhere, the old mentality is here. The statistics are indeed shocking because many girls around the world are still struggling because menstruation is ‘criminalized’ in some places. Some girls even drop out of school once they start having their period. Because the subject is seldom discussed, even among families, peers or community members, many women resort to extremely unsanitary options during their period, including the use of dirty cloth, ashes or sand. Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) are 70 percent more common among women who engage in these practices.”The stigma against menstruation runs deep, having been embedded for years in the minds of men and women for years “In some states in India, where menstruation has long been perceived as a social taboo , a woman on her period becomes essentially “untouchable” – banned from cooking, handling water or entering places of worship"

Few weeks ago, a student in India wrote an open letter to a priest,who said that he wants a machine that scans menstruating women. “These days there are machines that can scan bodies and check for weapons. There will be a day when a machine is invented to scan if it is the 'right time' for a woman to enter a temple. “He further adds that women who are menstruating are not pure and it’s a sin”..

“After the Indian temple chief said he would allow women to enter the shrine only after a machine was invented to detect if they were "pure" - meaning that they weren't menstruating - outraged women have launched a #HappyToBleed campaign on Facebook to protest against the "sexist statement",”The priest comments reinforce misogyny and strengthen the myths that revolve around women, and that "Happy To Bleed" is a counter-campaign against menstrual taboos.”

What happened in India could have happened anywhere. If we don’t act now, maybe in the future, girls/women will be denied access to X places and will not be allowed to do Y things only because they are women and having their period. It is surely a step back, and not a step forward toward gender equality. It may be a small thing, but I strongly believe that if by breaking this taboo, we are fighting gender inequality to some extent. We need to STOP that taboo and stop tolerating injustice because we have to remember that when we are tolerating, we are encouraging.

Periods do not make us inferior, impure, dirty, it is a natural process that we should not regard as a taboo. It should be an open subject of discussion, boys and girls both should no longer feel uncomfortable talking about periods.

If I can talk about it openly, you can too.

And together, we shall end this taboo and very soon put an end to gender inequality.

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