Periods. Blood. Menstruation. Gross. Secret. Hidden. Why?
Hilerokoa. Odola. Menstruazioa. Nazka. Sekretua. Ezkutua. Zergatik?
A natural biological process that every girl and woman goes through every month for about half of her life. A phenomenon that is so significant that the survival and propagation of our species depends on it. Yet we consider it a taboo. We feel awkward and shameful talking about it.
Prozesu biologiko naturala neska eta emakume guztiek hilero jasaten dutena beren bizitzaren erdian zehar. Biziki garrantzitsua den fenomenoa, horren menpe baitaude gure espeziearen biziraupena eta ugalketa. Baina tabutzat jotzen dugu. Ezeroso eta lotsatuta sentitzen gara horretaz jarduterakoan.
When I got my first periods, I was told to keep it a secret from others -- even from my father and brother. Later when this chapter appeared in our textbooks, our biology teacher skipped the subject.
Lehenengo hilekoa izan nuenean, besteengandik ezkutatzeko esan zidaten -- baita nire aita eta nebarengandik ere. Geroago, atal hori testuliburuetan agertu zenean, biologia irakasleak hurrengo gaira egin zuen salto.
(Laughter)
(Barreak)
You know what I learned from it? I learned that it is really shameful to talk about it. I learned to be ashamed of my body. I learned to stay unaware of periods in order to stay decent.
Badakizue zer ikasi nuen? Horretaz mintzatzea lotsagarria dela. Nire gorputzaz lotsatzea ikasi nuen. Hilerokoa alde batera uzten ikasi nuen neska zintzoa izan nedin.
Research in various parts of India shows that three out of every 10 girls are not aware of menstruation at the time of their first periods. And in some parts of Rajasthan this number is as high as nine out of 10 girls being unaware of it. You'd be surprised to know that most of the girls that I have spoken to, who did not know about periods at the time of their first menstruation thought that they have got blood cancer and they're going to die soon.
Indian egindako hainbat ikerketak erakusten dute hamar neskatik hiruk ez daukatela hilekoaren berri hilekoa lehenengo aldiz dutenean. Eta Rajastaneko toki batzuetan zifrak altuagoak dira: hamar neskatik bederatzi. Harrituko zinatekete jakinda ezagutu ditudan neska gehienek hilekoari buruz ezer ere ez zekitela lehenengo aldiz hilekoa izan zutenean. Odol minbizia zeukatela uste zuten eta handik gutxira hilko zirela.
Menstrual hygiene is a very important risk factor for reproductive tract infections. But in India, only 12 percent of girls and women have access to hygienic ways of managing their periods. If you do the math, 88 percent of girls and women use unhygienic ways to manage their periods.
Higienea arrisku-faktore garrantzitsua da ugal-aparatu infekzioei dagokienez. Baina, Indian, neska eta emakumeen %12k soilik dauzka menstruazio egunetan behar dituen higiene baliabideak. Kalkuluak egiten badituzue, %88k bide ez-higienikoak erabiltzen ditu hilerokoa daukanean.
I was one of them. I grew up in a small town called Garhwa, in Jharkhand, where even buying a sanitary napkin is considered shameful. So when I started getting my periods, I began with using rags. After every use I would wash and reuse them. But to store them, I would hide and keep it in a dark, damp place so that nobody finds out that I'm menstruating. Due to repeated washing the rags would become coarse, and I would often get rashes and infections using them.
Ni haietako bat nintzen. Garhwa izeneko hiri txiki batean hazi nintzen, Jharkhand-en, non konpresa bat erostea ere lotsagarritzat jotzen den. Hortaz, hilerokoa izaten hasi nintzenean, trapuak erabiltzen hasi nintzen. Garbitu eta berrerabili egiten nituen erabili ostean. Baina gordetzeko, toki ilun eta heze batean ezkutatzen nituen inork ere ez jakiteko hilerokoa neukala. Askotan garbitzearen ondorioz, trapuak laztu egiten ziren, eta negalak eta infekzioak izaten nituen erabiltzerakoan.
I wore these already for five years until I moved out of that town. Another issue that periods brought in my life those of the social restrictions that are imposed upon our girls and women when they're on their periods. I think you all must be aware of it, but I'll still list it for the few who don't.
Bost urtez erabili nituen hiri hartatik joan nintzen arte. Hilekoak nire bizitzan sortu zuen beste arazo bat murriztapen sozialak izan ziren, hilerokoa daukaten neska eta emakumeei inposatzen zaizkienak. Uste dut guztiok ezagutzen dituzuela. Hala ere, zerrendatu egingo ditut ezagutzen ez dituzuenontzat.
I was not allowed to touch or eat pickles. I was not allowed to sit on the sofa or some other family member's bed. I had to wash my bed sheet after every period, even if it was not stained. I was considered impure and forbidden from worshipping or touching any object of religious importance. You'll find signposts outside temples denying the entry of menstruating girls and women.
Ezin nituen ozpinetako pepinoak ukitu edo jan. Sofan edo familiakoen oheetan esertzea debekatuta neukan. Hileko bakoitzaren ostean izarak garbitu behar nituen, nahiz eta garbi egon. Pertsona zikintzat jotzen ninduten eta ez zidaten uzten objektu erlijiosoak gurtzen edo ukitzen. Tenpluen kanpoaldean kartelak daude hilekoa daukatenei sartzen uzten ez dietenak.
Ironically, most of the time it is the older woman who imposes such restrictions on younger girls in a family. After all, they have grown up accepting such restrictions as norms. And in the absence of any intervention, it is the myth and misconception that propagate from generation to generation.
Modu ironikoan, gehienetan emakume edadetuena da murriztapen horiek inposatzen dizkiena familiako neska gazteenei. Azken finean, murriztapen horiek onartzen hazi dira haiek. Eta ez denez inolako esku-hartzerik egon, mitoak eta ideia okerrak dira belaunaldiz belaunaldi zabaldu direnak.
During my years of work in this field, I have even come across stories where girls have to eat and wash their dishes separately. They're not allowed to take baths during periods, and in some households they are even secluded from other family members. About 85 percent of girls and women in India would follow one or more restrictive customs on their periods every month. Can you imagine what this does to the self-esteem and self-confidence of a young girl? The psychological trauma that this inflicts, affecting her personality, her academic performance and every single aspect of growing up during her early formative years?
Arlo horretan lanean ibili naizen urteetan, istorioak ezagutu ditut non neskek besteengandik banatuta jan eta beren platerak bereizita garbitu behar zituzten. Ez diete bainatzen uzten hilekoa dutenean, eta, etxe batzuetan, familiako kideengandik isolatzen dituzte. Indiako neska eta emakumeen %85 inguruk ohitura murriztatzaile bat edo gehiago jasaten zuen hilero. Imagina dezakezue zer eragin daukan neska gazte baten autoestimuan eta konfiantzan? Horrek sortzen duen trauma psikologikoa, bere izaerari eragiten diona, jarduera akademikoari, eta haztearen alderdi guztiei lehenengo heziketa-urteetan?
I religiously followed all these restrictive customs for 13 years, until a discussion with my partner, Tuhin, changed my perception about menstruation forever. In 2009, Tuhin and I were pursuing our postgraduation in design. We fell in love with each other and I was at ease discussing periods with him. Tuhin knew little about periods.
Erlijioari jarraituz bete nituen ohitura murriztatzaileak 13 urtez, nire bikote Tuhinekin izandako eztabaida batek hilekoarekiko nuen jarrera betirako aldatu zuen arte. 2009an, Tuhin eta biok graduondoko diseinu ikasketetan ari ginen. Maitemindu ginen eta gustora hitz egiten nuen hilekoari buruz berarekin. Tuhinek ezer gutxi zekien.
(Laughter)
(Barreak)
He was astonished to know that girls get painful cramps and we bleed every month.
Harritu egin zen jakitean neskek karranpa mingarriak jasaten ditugula eta hilero odola izaten dugula.
(Laughter)
(Barreak)
Yeah. He was completely shocked to know about the restrictions that are imposed upon menstruating girls and women by their own families and their society. In order to help me with my cramps, he would go on the Internet and learn more about menstruation. When he shared his findings with me, I realized how little I knew about menstruation myself. And many of my beliefs actually turned out to be myths.
Bai. Aho zabalik geratu zen jakitean zer nolako arauak inposatzen dizkieten hilekoa duten neska eta emakumeei beren familiek eta gizarteek. Karranpen mina baretzen laguntzeko, Interneten bilatu eta hilekoaren inguruko gauza gehiago ikasten zituen. Aurkitutakoa kontatzen zidanean, neuk ere ezer gutxi nekiela konturatzen nintzen. Eta nituen uste asko mitoak besterik ez zirela.
That's when we wondered: if we, being so well educated, were so ill-informed about menstruation, there would be millions of girls out there who would be ill-informed, too. To study -- to understand the problem better, I undertook a year-long research to study the lack of awareness about menstruation and the root cause behind it.
Orduan nire buruari galdetu nion: guk, hezkuntza ona jasota horren informazio kaskarra badugu, informazio okerra daukaten milioika neska egongo dira. Aztertzeko -- arazoa hobe ulertzeko, urtebeteko ikerketari ekin nion hilekoarekiko kontzientzia eza eta arazoaren jatorria aztertzeko.
While it is generally believed that menstrual unawareness and misconception is a rural phenomenon, during my research, I found that it is as much an urban phenomenon as well. And it exists with the educated urban class, also. While talking to many parents and teachers, I found that many of them actually wanted to educate girls about periods before they have started getting their menstrual cycle. And -- but they lacked the proper means themselves. And since it is a taboo, they feel inhibition and shameful in talking about it.
Hilekoaren informazio eza eta uste okerrak landa eremuko fenomenoa direla uste ohi den arren, hirietako fenomenoa ere badela ikusi nuen ikertzerakoan. Eta baita ondo hezitako hiriko jendearena ere. Hainbat guraso eta irakaslerekin hitz egiterakoan, konturatu nintzen haietako askok hilekoen berri eman nahi zietela neskei hilekoaren zikloa hasi aurretik. Eta -- baina haiek ere ez zeukaten baliabide egokirik. Eta tabu bat denez gero, inhibituta eta lotsatuta sentitzen dira horri buruz mintzatzerakoan.
Girls nowadays get their periods in classes six and seven, but our educational curriculum teaches girls about periods only in standard eight and nine. And since it is a taboo, teachers still skip the subject altogether.
Neskek hamaika urte ingururekin izaten dute hilekoa lehen aldiz, baina gure hezkuntza curriculumean hamahiru edo hamalau urte dituztenean ikasten dute hilerokoen inguruan. Eta tabu bat denez gero, irakasleek gaia atzean utzi eta hurrengoari ekiten diote.
So school does not teach girls about periods, parents don't talk about it. Where do the girls go? Two decades ago and now -- nothing has changed. I shared these finding with Tuhin and we wondered: What if we could create something that would help girls understand about menstruation on their own -- something that would help parents and teachers talk about periods comfortably to young girls?
Hortaz, eskolan ez dute hilekoaren inguruan ikasten, gurasoek ez dute horri buruz hitz egiten. Nora jotzen dute neskek? Duela bi hamarkada eta gaur egun -- ez da deus aldatu. Aurkitutakoa Tuhini erakutsi nion eta zera pentsatu genuen: zerbait sortuko bagenu neskek beren kabuz menstruazioa zer den ulertzeko -- eta guraso eta irakasleei lagunduko dien zerbait gazteekin hilekoaz eroso jardun dezaten?
During my research, I was collecting a lot of stories. These were stories of experiences of girls during their periods. These stories would make girls curious and interested in talking about menstruation in their close circle. That's what we wanted. We wanted something that would make the girls curious and drive them to learn about it. We wanted to use these stories to teach girls about periods.
Ikerketan istorio asko bildu nituen. Neskek hilekoa zutenean izandako esperientzien istorioak ziren. Istorio horiek kuriositatea eta interesa piztuko zituzten neskengan menstruazioari buruz hitz egin zezaten beren ingurukoekin. Hori zen nahi genuena. Neskengan kuriositatea piztuko zuen zeozer nahi genuen eta horren inguruan ikastera bideratuko ziutena. Hilerokoen inguruan irakasteko erabili nahi genituen.
So we decided to create a comic book, where the cartoon characters would enact these stories and educate girls about menstruation in a fun and engaging way. To represent girls in their different phases of puberty, we have three characters. Pinki, who has not gotten her period yet, Jiya who gets her period during the narrative of the book and Mira who has already been getting her period. There is a fourth character, Priya Didi. Through her, girls come to know about the various aspects of growing up and menstrual hygiene management.
Beraz, komiki bat sortzea erabaki genuen, non pertsonaiek istorio horiek antzezten dituzten eta, hala, neskek hilekoari buruz era entretenigarrian ikasten dute. Neskak pubertaroaren faseetan irudikatzeko, hiru pertsonaia ditugu: Pinki, oraindik hilekorik izan ez duena; Jiya, narrazioan hilekoarekin hasten dena; eta Mira, jada hilekoa izan duena. Laugarren pertsonaia bat dago, Priya Didi. Berari esker, haztearen hainbat aspektu eta hileko higienea ikasten dute neskek.
While making the book, we took great care that none of the illustrations were objectionable in any way and that it is culturally sensitive. During our prototype testing, we found that the girls loved the book. They were keen on reading it and knowing more and more about periods on their own. Parents and teachers were comfortable in talking about periods to young girls using the book, and sometimes even boys were interested in reading it.
Liburua egiterakoan, kontuan izan genuen irudiak ezin zirela iraingarriak edota kulturarentzat kaltegarriak izan. Prototipoa ateratzerakoan, neskek liburua izugarri gogoko zutela ikusi genuen. Irakurtzeko gogoa zuten eta haien kabuz geroz eta gehiago jakin nahi zuten hilekoaz. Guraso eta irakasleek eroso hitz egiten zieten gaiaz neska gazteei liburua baliatuz, eta batzuetan mutilek ere irakurtzeko interesa erakutsi zuten.
(Laughter)
(Barreak)
(Applause)
(Txaloak)
The comic book helped in creating an environment where menstruation ceased to be a taboo. Many of the volunteers took this prototype themselves to educate girls and take menstrual awareness workshops in five different states in India. And one of the volunteers took this prototype to educate young monks and took it to this monastery in Ladakh.
Komikiak ingurune bat sortzen lagundu zuen non menstruazioa jada ez zen tabua. Boluntarioetako askok prototipoa hartu zuten neskei erakusteko eta hilekoarekiko kontzientzia tailerrak egin zituzten Indiako bost eskualdetan. Boluntarioetako batek monje gazteei erakusteko hartu zuen eta Ladakheko monasterio honetara eraman zuen.
We made the final version of the book, called "Menstrupedia Comic" and launched in September last year. And so far, more than 4,000 girls have been educated by using the book in India and --
Liburuaren azken bertsioa egin genuen, "Menstrupedia Comic" izenekoa eta aurreko urteko irailean plazaratu genuen. Eta oraingoz, 4.000 neska baino gehiagok liburu honekin ikasi du Indian eta --
(Applause)
(Txaloak)
Thank you.
Eskerrik asko.
(Applause)
(Txaloak)
And 10 different countries. We are constantly translating the book into different languages and collaborating with local organizations to make this book available in different countries.
Eta baita 10 herrialde gehiagotan ere. Etengabe ari gara liburua beste hizkuntzetara itzultzen eta tokiko erakundeekin elkarlanean liburua hainbat herrialdetan eskuragarri izateko.
15 schools in different parts of India have made this book a part of their school curriculum to teach girls about menstruation.
Indiako 15 eskolak hezkuntza curriculumean sartu dute liburua neskei hilekoaren inguruan irakasteko.
(Applause)
(Txaloak)
I am amazed to see how volunteers, individuals, parents, teachers, school principals, have come together and taken this menstrual awareness drive to their own communities, have made sure that the girls learn about periods at the right age and helped in breaking this taboo.
Txundituta nago ikusita nola boluntarioak, banakoak, gurasoak, irakasleak, eskola zuzendariak, batu diren eta nola zabaldu duten hilekoarekiko kontzientzia beren komunitateetan, ziurtatu dute neskek adin egokian izatea hilekoaren berri eta tabua hausten lagundu dute.
I dream of a future where menstruation is not a curse, not a disease, but a welcoming change in a girl's life. And I would --
Amets egiten dudan etorkizunean hilekoa ez da madarikazio bat, ezta gaixotasun bat ere, neska baten bizitzako aldaketa pozgarria baizik. Eta --
(Applause)
(Txaloak)
And I would like to end this with a small request to all the parents here.
Gustatuko litzaidake hemen dauden guraso guztiei mesede txiki bat eskatuz bukatzea.
Dear parents, if you would be ashamed of periods, your daughters would be, too. So please be period positive.
Guraso maiteok, hilerokoaz lotsatzen bazarete, zuen alabak ere lotsatuko dira. Izan zaitezte "hilerokoaren aldekoak", mesedez.
(Laughter)
(Barreak)
Thank you.
Eskerrik asko.
(Applause)
(Txaloak)