Chiefs from Masvingo Province say Zimbabwean men are a disgrace because they do not talk to their teenage daughters about menstruation.
By Ngoni Chanakira
“I am a product of a missed period,” said one chief in Bulawayo this week. “Menstruation happens and we must not shy away from talking about it, especially in our homes.”
“It used to be taboo for men, let alone traditional chiefs like me, to discuss menstruation whether in public or in private. It was even worse to talk to my daughter about it, but this is now a thing of the past. Men should talk to their girl children about menstruation because it causes trauma, rejection from classmates, as well as stigma experienced by the girl child in Zimbabwe. In rural areas it is very serious and there are no sanitary pads.”
Chiefs from Masvingo have formed an ambassador’s association to tackle menstrual hygiene management (MHM), where they are going around the province talking to fathers about how they can communicate with their daughters.
The strong sentiments about menstrual health issues came out at a fired up conference on Water, Sanitation, Health and environment (WASHen) held in Bulawayo.
Three chiefs from Masvingo attended and one of them addressed and impressed the delegates.
Not only did the chief speak in fluent English, but he did not read a prepared speech, much to the delight and surprise of the more than 100 participants in the City of Kings.
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Environment, Water and Climate minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri gave the keynote address at the two-day event held at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Exhibition Centre.
Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate permanent secretary Prince Mupazviriho, said menstruation should be made a must subject at the primary level to enable the girl child to know about it and that it is just “another biological event in the life of a woman”.
“The community must come in and talk to the girl child,” he told delegates. “Men must do their fair share and not make their wives do the talking all the time.”
In an interview, a female delegate said gone were the days when mothers talked to their daughters about menstruation which affected them psychologically.
“We are rather too busy because now women work and just check homework and so forth,” she said. “Gone are the days of the aunt [talking to the girl children] because most of them [aunts] are young and live in the diaspora”.
She said the issue would now be taken seriously since the traditional chiefs were going around educating men about the importance of the menstrual cycle in the life of a young girl. Some girls spoiled their uniforms resulting in boys teasing them at school. They would then refuse to go to school during the time that they were menstruating, while some spent the whole period crying, she said.
