'Flow with Pride': Fighting menstrual stigma and protecting girls’ dreams
Premiere of Impure, a feature film that addresses period shaming at Prestige Cinema on Ngong Road on September 7, 2024. The film aims at creating public awareness of a journey towards ending menstrual shame.
What you need to know:
- UNFPA and Denmark launch "Flow with Pride" campaign to promote menstrual health, dignity, and gender equality.
- Film screening and dialogues raise awareness, combat stigma, and advocate stronger menstrual health policies.
Mary*, a 12-year-old girl from Samburu County, was afraid to tell her parents that she had her first period. She was on her way home from school when she noticed blood between her legs.
She did not know immediately what this meant for her health. And she had no idea what would happen to her next after getting her first period, and how to manage it safely and hygienically.
When she reached home, her mother told her that she wasn’t sick and should be happy and celebrating that she was "a woman". But Mary had all the reasons to be worried. In her community, when a girl starts menstruating, she is taught that genital mutilation is the next rite of passage into womanhood, meaning she is ready for marriage.
Mary, whose dream is to become a teacher, was worried that her first period could end her education journey. She is among millions of young girls in Kenya stuck in period poverty due to lack of enlightenment on menstruation, lack of access to period products and the limited available options. These girls lack access to a clean and private bathroom and are ashamed and afraid when they get their periods for the first time.
Period poverty is further complicated when girls lack access to a safe space and a person to confide in. Lack of education and gaps about menstruation due to lack of funding by the county and national governments are the other problems. However, all is not lost for girls like Mary whose dreams are threatened by period poverty.
To achieve menstrual health and gender equality, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) and the Embassy of Denmark in Kenya have launched the “Flow with Pride” campaign to eradicate period stigma and period poverty while promoting menstrual health and dignity.
Despite being a natural and healthy part of life, menstruation in Kenya is still surrounded by stigma rooted in taboo and misinformation. The ‘Flow with Pride’ campaign seeks to end period shame and associated harmful stereotypes and barriers that deepen gender inequality, limit opportunities for over 12 million adolescent girls and women in Kenya who experience menstruation.
Menstrual health safeguards the dignity and health of women and girls and ensures they can fully exercise their rights. To launch the campaign, UNFPA and the Embassy of Denmark have partnered with Common Light Pictures, AL IS ON Production, and FilmAid Kenya to conduct widespread screening of the powerful film Impure, a coming-of-age story inspired by the tragic 2019 incident in Kabiangek, Kenya, of a young girl, who took her own life after being ridiculed for her first period.
Community screening of Impure will be held in Nairobi, Bomet, West Pokot, Turkana, Garissa, and Kwale as part of awareness and education efforts. The screening will be accompanied by facilitated dialogues aimed at creating safe spaces for open conversations about menstrual health while addressing harmful societal norms.
“Period stigma and shame create barriers that prevent women and girls from realising their academic, social, and economic aspirations,” said UNFPA Kenya Representative Anders Thomsen. “This campaign is a call to action for all of us to ensure no girl is lost or left behind, by building a society where menstruation is embraced as a normal and healthy part of life.”
Beyond the stigma, challenges in managing menstruation continue to create further barriers for women and girls. These challenges include a lack of access to menstrual health products, lack of information, and inadequate care for complications, which exclude them from education, work, and economic opportunities.
A situational analysis by the Ministry of Health revealed that over half of Kenyan girls still struggle to access menstrual hygiene products. For girls in low-resource settings, these challenges often translate into missed school days, with some losing up to 20 per cent of the academic year.
In addition to community-level engagements, the campaign will advocate stronger action from the government, policymakers, and partners to enhance the implementation of menstrual health and hygiene policies and increase funding for menstrual health initiatives.
“Denmark is committed to empowering girls and women to reach their full potential. Access to safe, decent menstrual health and hygiene improves mental well-being, boosts school attendance and work participation, leading to better grades for students and fewer lost wages for women,” said Stephan Schønemann, the Danish Ambassador to Kenya.
The envoy further noted that Denmark is proud to partner with UNFPA in Kenya in launching the Flow with Pride campaign, which will support Kenya’s commitment to fostering a society where no girl is left behind because of her period, and where women and girls thrive.
The campaign will run to the end of this year (2025). It brings together civil society, grassroots organisations, government and development agencies, and private sector partners in promoting and improving menstrual health and dignity.
*Name of the girl has been changed to protect her privacy.
