Bolivia
If you eat onions whilst on your period you will get cancer [Fundacion Sodis 2014]
Bathing or touching cold water during your period will cause infertility. [Fundacion Sodis 2014]
It is believed burning a menstrual pad is burning a part of your own body and you will become covered in sores, so they must be buried. [Fundacion Sodis 2014]
africa
UNESCO estimates that 1 in 10 African girls miss school during menses, eventually leading to a higher school drop out rate. (Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2014)
In many parts of Africa it is believed a touch from a menstruating girl or woman will cause a plant to become dry, milk to curdle, and a mirror to lose its brightness (House, Mahon, & Cavil)
uganda
It is believed if you cross a field of g-nuts (peanuts) growing whilst you are menstruating you will kill all of the crops.
It is believed you should wash several times a day, as menstruation is considered to be very dirty.
burkina faso
83% of girls have no place at school to change their sanitary menstrual materials. (Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2014)
niger
77% of girls have no place at school to change their sanitary menstrual materials. (Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2014)
tanzania
Some believe that if a menstrual cloth is seen by others, the owner of the cloth may be cursed (House, Mahon, & Cavil)
asia
In South Asia, 20% of the women interviewed, who had access to toilets, refrained from using them during their periods, partly due to fear of staining the toilet (House, Mahon, & Cavil)
32.5% of schoolgirls from South Asia had not heard about menstruation prior to menarche and an overwhelming 97.5% did not know that menstrual blood came from the uterus. (Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2014)
Bangladesh
In one study by HERProject, 73% of the Bangladeshi garment workers interviewed miss work for an average of 6 days per month (resulting in unpaid work days) due to vaginal infections caused by unsanitary menstrual materials. (Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2014)
nepal
‘Chhaupadi’ is a Nepalese practice where women are forced to sleep in separate huts or sheds during menstruation, alongside other harsh restrictions, although declared a violation of women’s rights in 2003 it is still widely practiced. (Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2014)
india
In India, 66% of girls-only schools do not have functioning toilets. (Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2014)
10% of girls in India believe menstruation is a disease.(Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2014)
In rural India, many women and girls use unsanitary materials such as old rags, husks, dried leaves, grass, ash, sand or newspapers (Menstrual Hygiene Day, 2014)
In some communities, women and girls are not allowed to use water sources during menstruation. In communities in Gujarat, India, 91% of girls reported staying away from flowing water. (House, Mahon, & Cavil)
A study in India found that inadequate menstrual products make girls drop out of school for approximately five days a month, or 50 days a year. With 23% leaving school altogether when they begin to menstruate. (Rose George, WaterSupply and Sanitation Council)
Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, the word “gazag” means to become infertile. It’s said (in old Afghan tradition) that during the week a woman has her period she cannot wash or shower or she will gazag. [Global Citizen 2015]
japan
According to a cultural belief held by some sushi chefs in Japan, women cannot be sushi chefs because of menstrual cycles. The myth here is that menstruation causes an “imbalance in taste” and therefore sushi cannot possibly be properly prepared by a woman. [Global Citizen 2015]
