Martin Endjala
Health and Social Services Deputy Minister, Esther Muinjangue, says that menstrual health is not only a health issue but is in actual fact a human rights issue.
Muinjangue said this at the commemoration of the Menstrual Health and Hygiene Day in Eenhana in Ohangwena region, on Friday. The day is commemorated every year on the 28th of May, under the theme Making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030.
She explained that millions of women and girls around the world are stigmatised, excluded and discriminated against simply because they menstruate. She said menstrual health and hygiene are a matter of respect and dignity, hence it is a normal part of the human experience and that there should be no discrimination or shaming of the girl child or women.
A German non-profit organisation called WASH United initiated Menstrual Hygiene Day.
Muinjangue further reiterated Namibia’s commitment to ensure that it achieves its Social Development Goals. Most of these SDGs she said, may be achieved through the promotion of health among the young generation and the empowerment of girls and young women, while the young boys, who are supposed to provide the required support to the girls, are also not left out.
“The Government of the Republic of Namibia, through the Ministry of Health and Social Services in partnership with the Ministry of Basic Education, Arts and Culture, with the support from other line ministries, UN agencies and development partners, is committed to the effective continuous implementation of the Integrated School Health program activities nation-wide. This program aims to promote an optimum healthy body, mind and soul for every school-going child, as well as the whole school community through the provision of school-based health services, health promotion activities, and maintenance of a clean and hygienic learning environment in our schools”, said Muinjangue.
Menstrual Hygiene Day is aimed at breaking the taboos and ending the stigma surrounding menstruation and raising awareness about the challenges regarding access to menstrual products, education about menstruation and period-friendly sanitation facilities Mobilise the funding required for action.
The average interval of a menstrual cycle is 28 days. On average, women and girls menstruate for five days per month. Hence 28-5, or the 28th of May was chosen to mark this day.
Menstruation is considered a normal and healthy part of life for most women. According to UNICEF, roughly half of the female population around 26 per cent of the global population are of reproductive age.
Most women menstruate each month for about two to seven days. Yet, as normal as it is, menstruation is stigmatized around the world.
Experts and researchers have time and again underlined the importance of menstrual hygiene, saying that when girls and women have access to safe and affordable sanitary materials to manage their menstruation, they decrease their risk of infections.
The World Bank states that poor menstrual hygiene can have cascading effects on the overall sexual and reproductive health of girls.
It also adds that poor menstrual hygiene can pose serious health risks, like reproductive and urinary tract infections which can result in future infertility and birth complications.
Neglecting to wash hands after changing menstrual products can spread infections, such as hepatitis B and thrush.
Furthermore, it is reported that if menstrual health and hygiene are well managed from the start, it has a surprisingly high potential to contribute to increasing female empowerment at a critical stage of a girl’s life.
To counter these setbacks, Namibia, through the Ministry of Health and Social Services, together with other line Ministries, has renewed its commitment to the Eastern and Southern African Region’s Ministerial Commitments for 2021-2030, towards the acceleration of investments aimed at supporting adolescents and young people in the region to thrive in health and education.
Additionally, Muinjangue highlighted that menstruation has always been among the factors which prevent girls and women from being successful in their daily lives.
This is mainly caused by the non-conducive environments at schools and sometimes even in households due to a lack of sanitation facilities, lack of commodities (sanitary pads), and lack of understanding of this natural phenomenon especially by boys and young men.
Due to menstruation, these challenges have mostly led to the girls missing an average of three to five school days every month.
Muinjangue maintained that it is the role of government agencies, development partners, civil society organizations, traditional leaders, teachers and parents, as well as learners, in ensuring that schools are menstruation friendly, in order to encourage girls to remain at school and become equally successful in life just like their fellow male learners.
The Deputy Minister also commended all stakeholders who have taken up the call by the government in supporting young girls and providing sanitary pads to schools amongst others.
She reaffirmed that the government mandate will ensure the safety and protection of the country’s inhabitants at all times, thus calling on suppliers and distributors of these products to uphold a culture of ensuring maximum quality and health standards in order to prevent possible health hazards to end users.
