Today, Menstrual Hygiene Day is a day for awareness of the need to prioritise menstrual health because menstruation matters to everyone, everywhere. This year’s theme is No More Limits: Empowering Women and Girls through Good Menstrual Hygiene.

To start off, menstruation is not a dirty word. You do not need to be silent or ashamed to speak on it. The conversation around it is important because it can help all of us deal with it in the best ways possible and seek help where we need it.

Culturally and around the globe, there have been myths and taboos relating to menstruation, some even suggesting that women are inferior because they bleed. Women and girls miss out on work, educational, recreational and other opportunities because they are unable to manage their periods properly. Recent research by a group called OCEAN have shown that poor menstrual hygiene management has negative effects on girl child education. We need to even the scale and ensure that women and girls manage periods with normalcy and dignity.

We all have the universal rights to water, sanitation, health and access to health-related education, including sexual and reproductive health. We deserve to have access to counseling, to pain relief, to comprehensive information on how to manage our bodies and our health as girls or as women.

As young girls remember that there is a wealth of resources to help you manage your periods. There are different menstrual hygiene methods to choose from. There is information to help reduce discomfort such as the right foods to eat, the amount of time between changes to avoid infections, proper disposal of sanitary provisions, exercise and pain medication. It is important that you also know that each woman’s experience varies. This is why you need to understand your body and how it works.

Remember, your period is not a curse. Good menstrual health management is empowerment for women and girls. This is what we are all seeking, the opportunity for you to participate fully and have a say in all that concerns you. It is also important that we remember to carry boys and men along. They can be great advocates for the cause.

A huge point to highlight on Menstrual Hygiene Day is that sanitary provisions can be expensive for families; prompting the need for alternative means which are more sustainable and more cost-effective. Our organisation, PRAWA is currently looking at developing a Menstrual Health Project for Girls and Women in less advantageous circumstances. If you would like to keep in touch, visit our website at www.prawa.org or send us a message on our Facebook (@prawa.ngo), Twitter (@prawa_ngo) or Instagram (@prawa_ngo).

So today use the hashtags #menstruationmatters #MHDay #nomorelimits on social media to show that you’re proud to be female and proud to talk about menstruation.

We thank the organisers of this event for giving us the chance to speak today, and we thank you all for listening.

The presentation was made by PRAWA on Menstrual Hygiene Day 2018 at a seminar organised in Makoko, Lagos by Cee-Hope Nigeria and Prime Diamond Initiative for Community Health.