Periods. Blood. Menstruation. Gross. Secret. Hidden. Why?
Mjesečnice. Krv. Menstruacija. Odvratno. Tajna. Skriveno. Zašto?
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.
Prirodan biološki proces kroz koji prolazi svaka žena i djevojka svaki mjesec tijekom gotovo polovice svog života. Fenomen koji je toliko bitan da preživljavanje i nastavak naše vrste ovisi o njemu. No, za nas je to ipak tabu. Neugodno nam je govoriti o njemu.
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.
Za vrijeme mojih prvih mjesečnica rečeno mi je da to tajim od ostalih, čak i od oca i brata. Kasnije kad se to poglavlje pojavilo u udžbenicima, nastavnica iz biologije ga je preskočila.
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
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.
Znate li što sam naučila iz toga? Naučila sam da je zaista sramotno govoriti o tome. Naučila sam se sramiti svoga tijela. Naučila sam ostati nesvjesna mjesečnica kako bih ostala pristojna.
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.
Istraživanja u raznim dijelovima Indije pokazuju da tri od deset djevojaka ne znaju za menstruaciju za vrijeme svojih prvih mjesečnica. U nekim dijelovima Rajasthana devet od deset djevojaka ne zna za nju. Iznenadila bi vas činjenica da većina djevojčica s kojima sam razgovarala, a koje nisu znale za mjesečnicu za vrijeme svojih prvih menstruacija, misli da ima rak krvi i da će uskoro umrijeti.
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.
Higijena za vrijeme menstruacije jako je važan faktor rizika za infekcije reproduktivnog trakta. No, u Indiji tek 12 % djevojaka i žena ima pristup higijenskim načinima brige o svojim mjesečnicama. Ako malo razmislite, to znači da 88% djevojaka i žena na nehigijenske načine brine o svojim mjesečnicama.
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.
Ja sam bila jedna od njih. Odrasla sam u Garhwi, malom gradiću u Jharkhandu, gdje je i kupovanje uloška bilo sramotno. Kad sam počela dobivati mjesečnice, koristila sam krpe. Nakon svake upotrebe, oprala bih ih i ponovno koristila. Čuvala sam ih tako što sam ih spremila na mračno i vlažno mjesto kako nitko ne bi saznao da imam menstruaciju. Krpe su postale grube zbog učestalog pranja, pa sam često od njih dobivala osipe i infekcije.
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.
Nosila sam ih pet godina sve dok nisam otišla iz tog grada. Mjesečnice su mi donijele još jedan problem društvena ograničenja koja se nameću djevojkama i ženama za trajanja mjesečnice. Mislim da ste svi toga svjesni, ali navest ću ih za vas koji ne znate za njih.
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.
Nisam smjela jesti ili dirati kisele krastavce. Nisam smjela sjediti na kauču ili na krevetu drugog člana obitelji. Morala sam prati plahte nakon svake mjesečnice, čak i kad nisu bile prljave. Nisam bila dovoljno čista, pa nisam smjela dirati ili štovati bilo kakav predmet od religijskog značaja. Ispred hramova stoje znakovi kojima se zabranjuje ulaz djevojkama i ženama koje imaju menstruaciju.
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.
Ironično je to što uglavnom starije žene nameću takva ograničenja na mlađe djevojke u obitelji. One su odrasle prihvaćajući takva ograničenja kao pravila. Kako nitko ne poduzima ništa, mitovi i zablude prenose se s generacije na generaciju.
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?
Dok sam radila na ovom području, čak sam čula kako djevojke odvojeno jedu i peru svoje suđe. Ne smije se kupati dok im mjesečnica traje, a u nekim kućanstvima odvojene su od drugih članova obitelji. Oko 85 % djevojaka i žena u Indiji slijedi jedan ili više ograničavajućih običaja svaki mjesec. Zamislite kakav to učinak ima na samopoštovanje i samopouzdanje mlade djevojke. Kakve psihološke traume zadaje, utječući na njezinu osobnost, akademski uspjeh i svaki drugi aspekt odrastanja za vrijeme njezinih godina razvijanja?
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.
Revno sam pratila te običaje 13 godina, sve dok razgovor s Tuhinom, mojim partnerom, nije zauvijek promijenio moje viđenje menstruacije. G. 2009. Tuhin i ja bili smo diplomski studenti dizajna. Zaljubili smo se i bilo mi je ugodno raspravljati s njim o mjesečnicama jer je on o njima znao malo.
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
He was astonished to know that girls get painful cramps and we bleed every month.
Iznenadilo ga je to što imamo bolne grčeve i krvarimo svaki mjesec.
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
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.
Da. Bio je potpuno šokiran ograničenjima koja se nameću ženama i djevojkama dok menstruiraju od strane njihovih obitelji i društava. Kako bi mi pomogao s grčevima na internetu je istraživao o menstruaciji. Kad je sa mnom podijelio svoja saznanja, shvatila sam koliko malo znam o tome. Ispostavilo se da su mnoga moja vjerovanja tek mitovi.
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.
Tad sam se zapitala: ako smo mi, educirani ljudi, toliko pogrešno informirani o tome, vjerojatno postoje i milijuni drugih djevojčica koje su u istoj situaciji. Kako bih proučavala, odnosno bolje razumjela problematiku, provela sam jednogodišnje istraživanje o manjku svijesti o menstruaciji i njezinom glavnom uzroku.
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.
Iako se vjeruje da su neinformiranost i zablude o mjesečnici ruralni fenomen, istraživanjem sam otkrila da je to i urbani fenomen te se javlja i među obrazovanom urbanom klasom. Razgovarajući s mnogim roditeljima i učiteljima, otkrila sam da mnogi zapravo žele informirati djevojke o mjesečnicama prije nego što ih počnu dobivati. Ali ni sami nisu znali kako. Budući da je to tabu-tema, sramotno im je govoriti o tome.
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.
U današnje vrijeme djevojke dobivaju prvu mjesečnicu u 6. i 7. razredu, ali naš obrazovni kurikulum uči djevojke o njima tek u 8. razredu i u 1. razredu srednje škole. Budući da je to tabu-tema, profesori još uvijek jednostavno preskaču tu temu.
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?
Škola ne uči djevojke o mjesečnicama, roditelji ne pričaju o njima. Što s djevojkama? Prije dva desetljeća i danas -- baš se ništa nije promijenilo. Ova sam otkrića podijelila s Tuhinom i zapitali smo se: možemo li stvoriti nešto što bi pomoglo djevojkama da same shvate mjesečnicu - nešto što bi pomoglo roditeljima i učiteljima da bez srama o njima razgovaraju s djevojkama.
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.
Za istraživanja prikupila sam puno priča. Priče o iskustvima djevojaka o mjesečnicama. Te su priče zainteresirale djevojke da razgovaraju o mjesečnicama u svojim užim krugovima. To smo i htjeli. Htjeli smo nešto što će u djevojkama probuditi znatiželju i natjerati ih da uče o tome. Htjeli smo iskoristiti ove priče da djevojke učimo o mjesečnicama.
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.
Odlučili smo stvoriti strip u kojem likovi iz crtića glume ove priče i uče djevojke o mjesečnici na zanimljiv način. Djevojke u različitim fazama puberteta predstavljaju tri različita lika. Pinki, koja još nije dobila mjesečnicu, Jiya, koja će je dobiti za vrijeme knjige, i Mira, koja je već neko vrijeme dobiva. Imamo i četvrtog lika - Priyu Didi. Kroz nju djevojke uče o različitim aspektima odrastanja i o menstrualnoj higijeni.
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.
Dok smo pisali knjigu, pazili smo da nijedna ilustracija ne bude neprihvatljiva ni na koji način i da je kulturološki prihvatljiva. Za vrijeme testiranja prototipa, otkrismo da se knjiga djevojkama jako sviđa. Čitale su je sa zadovoljstvom i samostalno učile o mjesečnicama. Roditeljima i učiteljima bilo je ugodno o mjesečnicama govoriti djevojkama pomoću knjige, a nekada je knjiga bila zanimljiva i dječacima.
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
(Applause)
(Pljesak)
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.
Strip je pomogao u stvaranju okruženja u kojem menstruacija više nije tabu-tema. Mnogi volonteri iskoristili su ovaj prototip kako bi učili djevojke i organizirali radionice o svijesti o menstruaciji u 5 indijskih država. Jedan volonter iskoristio je ovaj prototip za učenje mladih redovnika u samostanu u Ladakhu.
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 --
Konačna verzija knjige "Menstrupedija Strip" objavljena je rujnu prošle godine. Dosad je više od 4 000 djevojaka poučeno koristeći ovu knjigu u Indiji i --
(Applause)
(Pljesak)
Thank you.
Hvala vam.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)
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.
I deset različitih država. Knjiga se stalno prevodi i surađujemo s lokalnim organizacijama kako bi ova knjiga bila dostupna u različitim državama.
15 schools in different parts of India have made this book a part of their school curriculum to teach girls about menstruation.
Petnaest škola u različitim dijelovima Indije ovu su knjigu uvrstili u školski kurikulum kako bi poučavali djevojke.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)
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.
Očarana sam time kako su se volonteri, pojedinci, roditelji, učitelji, ravnatelji udružili i proširili svijest o mjesečnici u vlastitim zajednicama te osigurali da djevojke na vrijeme uče o njoj i na taj način ovo prestane biti tabu-tema.
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 --
Sanjam o budućnosti u kojoj mjesečnica neće biti kletva niti bolest, već dobrodošla promjena u životu mlade djevojke. I htjela bih --
(Applause)
(Pljesak)
And I would like to end this with a small request to all the parents here.
Završila bih ovaj govor malom zamolbom za sve prisutne roditelje.
Dear parents, if you would be ashamed of periods, your daughters would be, too. So please be period positive.
Dragi roditelji, ako se vi sramite svojih mjesečnica, sramit će ih se i vaše kćeri, stoga, molim vas, budite pozitivni po ovom pitanju.
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
Thank you.
Hvala vam.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)