‘Must work towards creating society where menstruation is understood, talked about freely’
SRINAGAR: To encourage a supportive and informed environment for youth and to eliminate stigma around menstruation by empowering girls, the Department of Social Work, University of Kashmir (KU), in collaboration with Srinagar Hub of Global Shapers Community (GSC), an initiative of World Economic Forum, organised a workshop at the University Model High School here.
The workshop, under the ‘Don’t Whisper: Embracing the Monthly Rhythm’ project, focussed on awareness and education revolving around menstruation and related issues among adolescents to tackling the critical issue of menstrual health among school-going girls in Kashmir.
The Project is led by Syed Uzma Hamid, a certified menstrual educator with her other two members from Srinagar Hub, Mansha Syed and Tabia Masood.
The project is supported by Menstrupedia as its education partner and Noida Hub of GSC as the capacity building partner.
KU Vice Chancellor Prof Nilofer Khan, in a statement issued here, emphasised the need to empower school-going girls with comprehensive and accurate knowledge about menstruation and encouraging a culture of openness.
“We must work towards creating an inclusive society where menstruation is understood and talked about without shame or barriers,” Prof Khan said, adding that our mission is to break stigmas while ensuring their physical and emotional wellbeing and ultimately contributing to gender equality.
Principal, University Model High School, KU, Prof Adil Amin Kak also spoke on the occasion reinforcing the importance of such initiatives in educational settings.
“Educational institutions have a responsibility to ensure young children are equipped with the required knowledge and hence empowered to make informed decisions to improve their quality of health and ultimately achieving the goal of their all-round development,” he said.
Head, Department of Social Work, KU, Dr Shazia Manzoor, emphasised the pivotal role such programmes play in dismantling the taboos surrounding menstruation.
“We need to encourage and promote a culture of openness by supporting menstrual health education,” she said while acknowledging the contributions of Syed Uzma Hamid and her team for their inspiring work in spreading awareness about menstrual health and educating youth about the issues related to it.