Pakistanis face taboo to help women affected by floods

Devastating monsoon rains flooded a third of the country and affected more than 33 million people, half of them women and girls.

Pakistan underwater, the death of the “Hole Indian” and +

See highlights from Curto Green this Monday (29): 33 million Pakistanis affected by the rains, considered a “climate catastrophe”; the story of the “Indian of the Hole”, the last indigenous person of his tribe found dead on Saturday (27); study shows that extreme heat waves will be more common by the end of the decade if there is no reduction in emissions; and another victim of the war in Ukraine: dolphins.

Amid aid provided by humanitarian organizations to flood victims, a group of women decided to focus on essential feminine hygiene products, which are taboo in this conservative Muslim country. 

“Menstruation doesn’t stop during floods. Women need help”, says Bushra Mahnoor – a student at the University of Lahore – to AFP.

Bushra launched a campaign called Mahwari Justice, which in Urdu means justice for menstruation. 

She still remembers when – during the 2010 floods – she saw a young girl whose clothes were stained with blood. At the time, she noticed that some women “used [tree] leaves” to absorb menstrual blood and that there was a lack of feminine hygiene products. 

Since June, Bushra has mobilized friends and volunteers to raise funds and buy baby wipes, underwear and soap.

Each kit costs just 200 rupees (less than a dollar) and could change the lives of some women trying to preserve their dignity in these difficult times. 

Tabu

“Menstruation is a big taboo in Pakistan and it wasn’t easy,” said Bushra.

Her own family tried to dissuade her. “My mother tells me I'm an indecent woman for talking so publicly about menstruation,” she commented.

In Pakistan, a deeply conservative and patriarchal country, talking openly about menstruation or sexual health issues provokes hostile and disgusted reactions. 

On social media, the Mahwari campaign has been accused of promoting a “liberal agenda” that allegedly diverts money from causes seen as more helpful, such as delivering food or medicine to victims. 

(With AFP)

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