That’s what it should be but of course it’s not in many parts of the world. At the very recent academy awards this film won the category for best documentary short. I watched it on Netflix for the first time the other night.
Does anyone else feel like we are in an era where more women’s stories are being heard than ever before? But then when you listen to those stories, you’re still shocked by the extent to which things as simple, yet profoundly important to the existence of the human race, like menstruation, are keeping women from being educated, having respect and going about their daily life with dignity?
Watching this doco really brought that home for me. As a woman living in Australia and being educated about it (to an extent) in primary school and then high school, it’s something I take for granted that I have access to pads, tampons and more recently period undies (which I just love).
I also have taken for granted that I knew why I was bleeding, what it was all about and my male counterparts were also educated about this. In hindsight, I realise this is a complete relief and privilege.
It was sobering to learn that 90 per cent of Indian women do not have access to pads to take care of their monthly flow and that it is such a taboo topic, one often not understood and one filled with so much shame.
The doco asks men and women alike about menstruation, what they think it is, why it happens? Some men thought it was a disease that women got, many women just couldn’t even talk about it.
According to www.thepadproject.org who funded the making of the documentary, “…there is a new invention that solves this problem. A man named Muruganantham created a machine that makes affordable, biodegradable pads from locally sourced materials. Better still, the machine does more than just supply girls with pads: it supplies a steady income to the women in the area who want to work on it. In other words, this machine helps both girls and women gain independence.”
They go on to say: “When so much of the world’s narrative around the period revolves around shame and secrecy, this project transforms it into a source of enlightenment and pride. Our biggest hope is to get as many people as involved as possible, so that no girl will ever have to miss school because of her period again.”
Having more girls complete their education will help people to rise up and become internally stronger as a culture and a nation. Women are the backbone of any society, that’s just the way it goes. It fills my heart with so much joy to know that this project is up and running.
Of course it’s not just about making pads, it’s also about educating society on what it’s all about, why it happens and how incredibly important it is. The doco doesn’t go into detail on what will happen on that front but it is clear that women being able to use absorbent pads rather than dirty rags will go a long way to making necessary changes in their communities.
We will be donating proceeds of our online programs to this cause moving forward, perhaps you could see what inroads you could make at your work, school or in your local community to help out?
Today is International Women’s Day and the theme is, ‘more powerful together’. This doco really sums that up. We are and we can be. We need to help our sisters all around the world to have their basic needs attended to. The first step is knowing about the problem, which this doco has so beautifully shined the light on, now, they need support to get more pad making machines on the ground. Lets see what the sisters (and brothers) of the world can do.
Happy International Women’s Day from all of us at Red Tent.
Rebecca & Naomi xx
Red Tent Surry Hills – Rebecca & Kyla
Red Tent Bondi Beach – Naomi & Sar
Red Tent Bondi Junction and Edgecliff – Naomi from April 1st
All contact details on www.redtent.com.au