A year after taking part in a photography workshop, seven teenage girls know more reasons than ever why menstruation is a subject to be celebrated, and not stigmatised KATHMANDU: In April, 2016 WaterAid Nepal conducted a participatory photography workshop with seven teenage girls, aged between 14-16 years with an objective to allow them to explore their lives and express how they felt during their menstruation with the help of photography. Incorporating innovative process such as visual literacy made a direct impact on the lives of these girls along with their family members and society. A year later we went to the same group of girls in Sirthauli, Sindhuli to follow up on their status quo whilst trying to bring out the same voices, once again handing over cameras to them and asking them to explore more with cameras and retell their stories of menstruation. After spending weeks learning and reassessing their photographic skills, girls started taking photographs and disseminating their feelings. As a result, the photographs taken retell the stories of menstruation the girls were facing, changes they experienced over the period of one year and the sense of empowerment and confidence they had developed. The final step in the process was yet to be incorporated — ‘story writing’. So, on this particular day, after we distributed the photographs, girls sat down with their respective stack of 10 final photographs. “Today is going to be a relaxing day” I had thought to myself. But, as the girls started flipping through the pages of their note copies filling each page with their stories of happiness and sadness, their emotions and their feelings on menstruation one after another, it kept me thinking. I couldn’t help but notice the stories of change, stories of happiness and stories of dissatisfaction emerging out differently from different individuals. As Rita was still writing, the header of her copy caught my attention where she had written: ‘The change I witnessed’. She explained that when her sister Devika got her first menstruation, she was allowed to attend school, come outside her room, eat fruits, sit in the sun and interact with her friends, unlike Rita who was prohibited to do all of the above and spent seven days of her first menstruation in a dark room and in isolation. For her, this was a change she thought she never expected.   I kept reading as she wrote, “I feel happy that even though I didn’t get to attend school during my first menstruation, I think time took a leap and changed this thing. My sister didn’t have to stay in one room feeling isolated. She could roam around, come to school, talk to friends and be engaged. As brave as my sister was to take that stand, I feel happy that my family supported her as well. I witnessed the change that I thought was impossible and this made me really happy.”   And it wasn’t a new thing for Sabina to face all the discrimination she faced during menstruation. However, after attending participatory photography workshop she decided to change that for herself and others. She started teaching her friends that there’s no need to feel ashamed of menstruation and it is NOT okay to accept the way girls are treated during menstruation. Because of this awareness within herself and within her family members, she can now touch her brother, enter the kitchen, cook and eat, and do anything she likes. And most of all, she expressed that she stopped feeling secluded or ignored during menstruation. She was astonished to witness those changes, because from her knowledge, discriminatory attitude and seclusion during menstruation was always an accepted norm since the day she was introduced to the concept of ‘bleeding’. Sabina credits her mother for supporting her and allowing her to exercise that change despite all odds. Sabina shares, “Had it not been for that exhibition, I would have never been able to express all my feelings verbally and my mother would never have known what I was going through. She would never know how I felt when my own family members treated me differently and told me that I had become an untouchable the moment I started menstruating. Going through all the pictures and reading all my stories in last year’s exhibition was an eye opening experience for my mother and she realised the need for support I had always sought for. I am very happy to acknowledge that my mother immediately embraced those changes, no matter what society said.” As the writing session started building up, amazing stories of change started to unravel. Not all had the happy ending nor received a positive feedback, but it was empowering in every sense. For Rabina, it was a tough job to convince her aunts why she clicked the photos last year. She shared that she faced a lot of criticism for showing her feelings and clicking photographs of how she felt during menstruation. She was even scolded by her neighbours for mentioning and showing a photograph which displayed different set of utensils in which she was served during her menstruation. But, Rabina didn’t back off. Through her outspoken personality and confident communication skills, she constantly explained and opposed the idea of ‘seclusion’ during menstruation. “Although it was very hard to convince my aunts and explain why I had clicked those pictures in the beginning, I was eventually able to make them understand about the unnecessary restrictions that are imposed on us during menstruation and how it made me feel. As a result, I am no longer served in a different set of utensils and can dine together with the family even during my menstruation!” Rabina shares this with happiness. Manisha had a really hard time convincing her family members about the issues on menstruation. Despite her constant effort to change the perspective of her family members, she has not been successful. She expressed her unhappiness when she shared with us that her grandfather will not eat anything if she touches food during menstruation. She also expressed her dissatisfaction for not being able to do what she wants while she is menstruating. But, no matter how tragic her experience sounds, she is committed to start that change from herself. Thus she shares, “I have tried many times and I have failed to bring that change in my house. However, I am committed to change all of this for my future generation. I promise my children will never have to go through all these restrictions and differences that I went through. Menstruation is a natural process and we need love, care, nutrition and support during this time, not hate and segregation. I’ll make sure I’ll change that.” Life for these girls has changed a lot in terms of what they experienced versus what they witnessed as the changes in this process. As an innovative intervention to express their feelings — photography gave them power, a medium to express and challenge the status-quo on an issue that is heavily stigmatised by society. They emerged out of their comfort zone, unlearned everything about taboos associated with menstruation — which was actually a part of socialisation process and then inherited independence. These girls have developed an impeccable decision making skill in the process. They now know exactly what’s wrong and what is right. They know more reasons than ever why menstruation is a subject to be celebrated and not stigmatised. (The author is Communications Support Officer at WaterAid Nepal)