Benin/Good management of menstrual hygiene of young girls and women: Fawe-Benin at war against stigmatization and discrimination

In Benin, in the school environment, 1/3 of young girls lose at least two days per month of absence from class, because of discrimination related to menstrual management. A subject rarely debated in public and not benefiting from any political approach, the problem of menstrual management among young girls and women is of concern to the NGO Forum for African Women Educationalist (FAWE-Benin) which has initiated a project to this effect.

Funded by the partner Amplify Change, the project to reduce discrimination in the respect of sexual and reproductive health rights among girls and boys in secondary schools covers the communes of Parakou, Bohicon and Avrankou. For the launching ceremony of this project, students, parents, teachers, researchers, community leaders, communal authoritiesFor the launching ceremony of this project, students, parents, teachers, researchers, community leaders, communal authorities... responded to the call of the NGO Fawe in the premises of the town hall of Avrankou. In front of this audience, the theme was discussed from all angles. Indeed, in the last decades, the government has succeeded in achieving success in terms of girls' schooling. But notwithstanding these efforts, there are still factors that handicap the full development of girls in schools. Among these problems, the NGO Fawe-Benin diagnosed the management of menstruation of young girls in high schools and colleges. For President Ida Tokpo, "if public sanitation issues are long debated by governments in development policies, the same cannot be said of collective hygiene, especially the menstruation of girls and women". Starting from the observation that in Benin's schools, "girls have no knowledge of menstruation before they appear, and they are sometimes given bad advice which leads them into the wrong direction, due to lack of information and training", Mrs. IdrissiMrs. Ida Tokpo and her team have decided to save the furniture to reduce discrimination, stigmatization, repeated absences from school and why not unwanted pregnancies.Through this initiative, which is very ambitious, the NGO Fawe-Benin contributes to the achievement of goals 3, 4 and 6 of the SDGs, which promote good health, quality education and access to clean water and sanitation, said the representative of the Minister of Secondary Education and Technical Training at this ceremony. For the mayor of Avrankou, the issue is worrying because in most communes, girls struggle to manage their menstruation, given the conditions not adapted to these needs of the time. This situation does not facilitate the full enjoyment of their right to sexual and reproductive health, let alone the respect of their right to an equitable education. While congratulating the NGO for this work of public utility, the communal authority pleads for the construction of appropriate infrastructure to curb this situation, which is a source of school wastage.

Planned for a period of 18 months, Fawe-Benin teams will be present in the targeted communes through actions to improve the skills and knowledge of young people in the field of education.and knowledge of menstrual hygiene, inform them and raise their awareness of their right to sexual and reproductive health. The project will also collect qualitative and quantitative data to assess the impact of poor menstrual hygiene management on girls' school performance.The parents and other guarantors of the tradition will also be sensitized to reduce the negative impacts of stigma and discrimination.

Source: matinlibre.com