Mrs. Louisa Amoah, Executive Director of Girls Shall Grow, a Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) in Obuasi Municipality in the Ashanti region has entreated the general public to observe menstruation as a normal fact of life and not a taboo.
Speaking at a symposium organized by Girls Shall Grow and the Students Representative Council (SRC) Women’s commission of KNUST- Obuasi campus to mark the 2024 World Menstrual Hygiene Day in Obuasi, the Executive Director stressed that, the level of stigmatization and misconceptions associated with menstruation must be a concern to everyone in the society.
According to her, menstruation is a natural process experienced by all adolescent girls hence should not be treated as a taboo, and encouraged the girls to be confident and speak out against all forms of maltreatment encountered during menstruation.
The symposium brought together about 300 students from KNUST- Obuasi campus, Junior High and Senior High schools in Obuasi as well as health personnel to share their opinions on how to maintain menstrual hygiene.
She stated that, Menstrual health is a fundamental aspect of human rights, dignity, and public health, and for that matter, Menstrual Hygiene Day, observed annually on May 28th, and dedicated to breaking taboos and raising awareness about the importance of good menstrual hygiene management
Mrs Louisa Amoah disclosed that, the theme for this year’s celebration ” Together for a period friendly world” was spot on stressing that it’s about time issues of menstruation are demystified and make it an open subject for all to discuss.
She indicated that, they as an NGO realize that there is a whole hostile environment making it very difficult for girls to freely talk about menstruation and their experiences, hence the need to seize the opportunities to sensitize the girls to freely speak out whiles advising the public to make it easier for issues of menstruation to be discussed.
