Free menstrual products won't bring back girls to school
According to Always Pakistan, 1 in 5 girls miss school in Pakistan because of her period. Always has been running a successful campaign where for every pack purchased, they donate one pack to keep girls in school.
But is the lack of affordable and accessible period products the only reason keeping girls away from school?
Absolutely not!
It is also the lack of sanitation facilities i.e bathrooms, privacy, clean water available in school that makes girls drop out or skip school.
But one important area that deserves far more immediate attention, advocacy and stakeholder action is the link in Pakistan between menarche* and marriage.
The first period or menarche is strongly believed in Pakistan as the “end of childhood”.
In a survey we conducted in February 2021, 89% of respondents (mothers of adolescent girls) shared that girls as young as 9 to 11 who start menstruating for the first time become emotionally, psychologically, and physically ready for marriage.
Additionally, 72% of respondents shared that menarche also calls for a change to their dressing (taking up the hijab) and learning homemaking skills (e.g cooking and cleaning).
When a girl is told at such an early age by her parents that she is ready for marriage, and will be married off as soon as possible, will her education be supported or encouraged by the same parents? Can she afford to go to school on her own if she wills to do so after her period?
The 9 percent of respondents who disagreed with the intersection between marriage and menarche shared that due to this prevailing notion they have had to ask their daughters to hide their period from close family members so their daughters are not forced into marriage at such an early age.
Under the national law in Pakistan, it is illegal for those under 18 to marry but despite the fines and punishment, this inhumane practice continues unabated. Conversely, a high court in Pakistan recently ruled that men can marry underage girls as long as she’s had her period. This ruling directly contradicts the existing child marriage restraint act.
So while we appreciate the distribution of free period products by Always as part of their corporate social responsibility, an even bigger role in bringing back girls to school would be advocating against the practice of child marriage.
While we can’t expect a corporation to do all this advocacy work, the government has a strong role to play in providing education on the rights of adolescents, especially highlighting that the first period is not a child’s readiness for marriage. This seems challenging to me as sex education or reproductive health education is not available to boys or girls in schools or in homes.
Pakistan already ranks second lowest in the world for gender equality and with the Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc in terms of poverty in rural and urban areas, girls are at even bigger risk of child marriage.
With the sixth-highest number of child brides, and 3 percent of girls getting married before hitting 15, menarche in Pakistan continues to be used as a product of fear, soaked in taboo, absorbing dehumanization and trapping thousands of girls every year into becoming women before their rightful time.
For true “breathability” during menstruation, we must disassociate menarche with marriage. Only then will we bring our girls back to school.
*Forgive me for using too many sanitary napkin puns*