Menstrual Poverty and Its Impact on Education
The Executive Director of Equity Watch Initiative, E-WIN, a gender-based Non Governmental Organization in Nsukka, Enugu State, Ass Prof. Chiemezie Atama, has disclosed that lack of access to menstrual products are preventing many African girls from attending classes during menstruation.
While calling on governments across African countries to subsidize prices of menstrual products, she stated that most girls who do not have access to menstrual pads prefer to sit back at homes rather than face the embarrassment associated with menstrual stains at schools.
Call for Government Action
Atama made the calls during an Africa Voice in Diaspora with Chinedu Anichi online TV programme on Saturday, the 15th of February, 2025 while discussing “The Girl Child in Africa.”
She further urged all the governments in Africa to invest in constructing clean and safe public toilets in rural communities, schools, and health facilities, and to improve access to clean water sources to enable women and girls manage their periods properly .
She further called on governments to integrate comprehensive menstrual hygiene education and community health programmes into school curriculum, and equally work with NGOs to launch public awareness campaigns to challenge the stigma and taboos surrounding menstruation.
Barriers to Girls’ Education in Africa
She further called on governments and private individuals to invest in local production of sanitary products to create jobs and reduce costs, and to equally develop national strategies to address poverty, including budget allocation and implementation plans, adding that traditional leaders should also be engaged to address cultural barriers and promote menstrual health.
She further decried the UNICEF’s report which put the number of out-of-school children in Africa to 118.5 million, blaming toxic masculine ideologies , gender and cultural norms, poverty and climate change as part of the factors serving as barriers to girl child education in Africa.
“Out 9.5 million Out of School children in Nigerian, more than 50% are girls. This is a big set back at this age and time considering the importance of girl child education. While working with girls in rural communities in Nigeria, I discovered that a good number of them do not go to school due to lack of access to menstrual products and this is disheartening.
She enjoined parents to always teach their girl child about sexual and reproductive health and rights, including menstruation and personal hygiene to save them the embarrassment which comes from lack of the knowledge. She further urged parents to build the confidence and self-esteem of their girl child.
“In some rural communities, information about sexual and reproductive health and rights, including menstruation and menstrual hygiene management is like a secret, nobody wants to talk about it or disclose the SRHR issues to the girls.
“I came from a family of eight, seven girls and a boy. I was the first child and because I was already of age when my mother had her last two kids, the villagers always sympathized with my father each time he came home to announce that his wife has given birth to female child. That made me to become worried about the situation of the girl child from my younger age.
Cultural and Gender-Based Challenges
“At Idoma in Benue State, where I grew up, girls were seen as “baby factory machines”. The onset of menstruation signals the onset of pregnancy and child birth. My academic researches exposed me to the toxic masculine ideologies about women.”
She further stated that the girl child suffers a lot of marginalization and ill-treatment at home and in school due to gender roles and societal norms, resulting from unbearable gender-based violence, harmful practices and households responsibilities that increases the mental work load of the girl child and impacts her education.
“The issues of child marriage, teenage pregnancy, rape among others continue to pose as barriers to girls’ education in African and governments are not doing enough to stop these issues. I want governments to make policies that are gender-sensitive.”
The Importance of Girls’ Education
According to the Director, promoting girls’ education is not just a matter of justice; it is a strategic imperative that can lead to national developments.
” Educated girls are more likely to be empowered women who contribute to the national workforce, advocate for their families’ health, and invest in the education of their own children,” she concluded.
