Menstruation shouldn’t be a disaster - Period

Globally, 21 million women and girls are living in displacement due to violence and conflict. An endemic challenge they face is the ability to meet their menstruation needs safely and with dignity (Schmitt et al., 2021).

If menstrual needs are not met, I argue the everyday lives of women and girls in displacement can somewhat reflect the characteristics of a disaster: a process concerning a hazardous event, which has consequences regarding damage, livelihood disruption, and/or casualties (Wisner et al., 2012).

It is not menstruation, per se, that is a hazardous event which renders subsequent personalised disasters. Instead, the root causes of such disaster and associated gendered-vulnerabilities are reflected in how everyday resources and power are distributed (ibid).

In refugee camps, menstrual health management is often relegated to the side-lines (Tellier et al., 2020). Menstrual products are frequently inaccessible and culturally inappropriate, forcing women and girls to use unsafe materials (Sommer et al., 2016). This, compounded by limited access to menstrual health services, exposes women and girls to greater risk of physical health complications (Schmitt et al., 2021). The lack of safe, private and gender-friendly WASH facilities has also been associated with experiences of increased discomfort, stress and embarrassment during menstruation (ibid).  

Evidently, personalised disasters related to menstruation stem from more than the simple lack of access to menstrual resources, services and facilities. Discriminatory social and cultural norms serve to shame, marginalise and stigmatise menstruators (Scales, 2019). Research identifies that these norms can damage, altering women’s daily activities and mobility (Krishnan and Twigg, 2016). Menstruators are also more vulnerable to gender-based violence (Corburn and Hildebrand, 2015). These harmful gendered-norms exacerbate patriarchal power dynamics, rendering women and girls living in displacement less likely to demand improved provision for such a taboo issue (Schmitt et al., 2021).

Utilising Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) approaches to address the gendered-vulnerabilities of women and girls living in displacement could aptly support them in meeting their menstruation needs and reduce the risk of menstruation becoming a personalised disaster. 

Inclusive DRR fosters the genuine participation of women and girls living in displacement, to empower individuals, active in their circumstances and possessing agency to control their lifeworld’s (Schmitt et al., 2021; Wisner et al., 2012). Previous research highlights the successes of women and girl’s engagement in the production and distribution of reusable, culturally appropriate menstrual products, and in the design of safe, gender-sensitive WASH provision (Schmitt et al., 2021). It is clear women-centred DRR is more likely to be cognisant of menstruation needs, bodily integrity and local realities. To address the harmful gender-norms and related inequitable distributions of power, the education and inclusion of men is fundamental (VanLeeuwen and Torondel, 2018).

Reducing gendered-vulnerabilities related to menstruation is advantageous for everyone. Period.

References:

Corburn, J. and Hildebrand, C., 2015. Slum sanitation and the social determinants of women’s health in Nairobi, Kenya. Journal of environmental and public health, 2015.

Krishnan, S. and Twigg, J., 2016. Menstrual hygiene: a 'silent' need during disaster recovery. Waterlines, pp.265-276.

Scales, A., 2019. Socio-Cultural Norms and Perceptions of Menstruation: An Intergenerational Analysis of Rural Jamkhed, Maharashtra. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3206/

Schmitt, M.L., Wood, O.R., Clatworthy, D., Rashid, S.F. and Sommer, M., 2021. Innovative strategies for providing menstruation-supportive water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities: learning from refugee camps in Cox’s bazar, Bangladesh. Conflict and Health, 15(1), pp.1-12.

Sommer, M., Schmitt, M.L., Clatworthy, D., Bramucci, G., Wheeler, E. and Ratnayake, R., 2016. What is the scope for addressing menstrual hygiene management in complex humanitarian emergencies? A global review. Waterlines, pp.245-264.

Tellier, M., Farley, A., Jahangir, A., Nakalema, S., Nalunga, D. and Tellier, S., 2020. Practice Note: Menstrual Health Management in Humanitarian Settings. The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies, pp.593-608.

VanLeeuwen, C. and Torondel, B., 2018. Improving menstrual hygiene management in emergency contexts: literature review of current perspectives. International journal of women's health, 10, pp.169.

Wisner, B., Gaillard, J.C. and Kelman, I., 2012. Handbook of hazards and disaster risk reduction. Routledge.