Menstrual hygiene facilities remain inadequate for girls in schools 

Islamabad

As world commemorates Menstrual Hygiene (MH) Day Friday, the purely health related issue of women and girls remains a tabooed topic in Pakistani society surrounded by myths and misperceptions.

The two baseline studies conducted around the Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) issues in schools of Swat and Muzaffargarh show that MHM related facilities are inadequate at girls’ schools and there is no concept of designated areas for this purpose in schools. In Muzaffargarh, school administration shared that they have no budget available for sanitary material whereas 80 per cent of the students in Swat mentioned that there were no adequate facilities at schools for disposing off the sanitary material.

The survey also indicates lack of knowledge among girls about the biological reasons involved process mainly because they hesitate in asking questions and believe that it is shameful and bad to discuss this topic even with their mothers and peers. In Swat, only two per cent girls were found aware of the biological reasons behind the process.

The researches were conducted by Agahe and Environmental Protection Society (EPS) and supported by WaterAid Pakistan and were aimed at acquiring pre-existing information including Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) along with existing facilities and services in the context of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and prevailing knowledge, believes myths and practices regarding girl’s health rights including Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) and its effect on enrolment.

The findings of both studies suggest an overwhelming demand of including MHM in school curricula of girls and involvement of teachers to informally impart MHM education to girls so that they can become better able to take care of themselves. In Muzaffargarh, 85 per cent of school administration supported the idea to include MHM as part of compulsory curriculum for girls’ schools.

The studies also mention myths and misperceptions among girls regarding the use of commercial products. Some girls even said that they believe that it is sinful to use commercial products. The origin and reasons for these misperceptions were unknown. The studies also confirm decrease in the school attendance of girls during the process mainly because of the lack of facilities in schools. In Swat, on average 23 per cent students remained absent during these days.

About the basic facilities linked to MHM WASH, the Swat report shows that among the selected girls’ schools, 45 per cent of the water sources were found functional however, 55 per cent of the sources were found non-functional and in the need of repair and rehabilitation. In 97 per cent of the cases, no microbiological tests and in 95 per cent cases there were no chemical or radiological tests conducted to know the water quality at the schools.

Only in 7 per cent cases, the number of latrines available in the schools was mentioned to be sufficient where as in 30 per cent cases, latrines facilities available at the schools were not functional at all. In 37 per cent cases, the students had to wait till school closing time for defecation due to non-availability of sanitation facilities, 23 per cent had to go to their homes or adjacent houses for defecation where 5 per cent of the students were subjected to open defecation.

In Muzaffargarh, only 10 per cent schools have soap available in washrooms and 58 per cent schools responded that the available toilets are not sufficient for the students. The study indicates a pattern where the number of enrolled students decrease with increase of level of education offered. This reflects on higher drop out and transition rates for girls as they move up on education.