Alokali Zhimomi
Every year 28 May is Menstrual Hygiene Day. WASH United started it in 2014 to end period shame and spread awareness. Their mission is to create a period-friendly world. But we are not there yet.
Shame still keeps girls and women from talking freely. It tells them their bleeding is dirty and shameful. This myth poisons both body and mind. Facts matter. Mental health matters. And for many of us, what Faith says matters too. So today, let’s talk facts, mental health, and what the Bible actually says.
This is the reality behind the shame. A period is natural. But managing it safely needs four things: pads, soap and water, a safe toilet, and period education. Right now, 800 million girls and women are bleeding. But more than 500 million women do not have those four basics (UNICEF, 2023). In many schools, 1 in 4 girls skips class during her period. Not because of pain. But because of shame. That’s why what the Bible says matters.
Leviticus 15:19-24 says a woman on her period was “unclean” for seven days. She could not enter the temple. The word sounds harsh today. But reading the whole chapter clarifies it.
This same law calls a man unclean for his bodily discharge. Both were called unclean. Both had to wash and wait. This is not moral uncleanness. It was ceremonial. It was camp hygiene.
Israelites lived in tents. No pads. No soap. No toilets. Blood and discharge spread disease fast. The “unclean” rule made people step back, wash, and keep the tent safe. It also stopped cruel myths that said bleeding women were cursed. God’s law said, she needed rest. She is not cursed.
Unclean does not mean sinful. Birth, death, and blood all made a person unclean. Even touching a dead body did. It meant you paused before worship, not that God hated you. But today, a class 9 girl in our society still hides her pad while buying and feels embarrassed. She is not afraid of infection. She’s afraid of shame.
But Jesus met a woman who bled for 12 years. By law, she was unclean. Anyone she touched became unclean too. Yet she pushed through the crowd and touched Him. Jesus didn’t pull away. He stopped and called her “Daughter.” He healed her in public. Shame left before blood did.
That’s what shame does to the mind. WHO links period shame to anxiety, depression and social withdrawals in girls. When we whisper “don’t touch” or “you are dirty,” a girl believes it. Her body feels like a problem. Her mind learns to hide. That’s why fact and faith must speak together. If the Church and society stay silent, the girl in every household stay shamed and shunned.
Today we have pads, tampons, cups. But many use old clothes due to high price or uses single pad for a prolonged period of time. Many girls in schools share one toilet. Zero privacy. Not enough water. Poor menstrual hygiene causes itching, burning, bad smell. Then, yeast infection and urinary infection and other infection follows. Some lose their chance to have babies later. Shame wounds her body, not just her mind.
So, what do we do? We can start with four things. First, Churches must teach. Put pads in the toilet. Talk about periods. Say period blood is natural, not dirty. Second, schools must provide. A safe toilet with water, a bin, and a place to burn pads. No girl should skip class for a pad. Third, use government help. Ask your Anganwadi for free pads. The state must keep its promise. Fourth, we all must speak up. Tell your daughter, “Your period is normal.” Tell your son, “her body is not a joke.” Menstrual Health isn’t just pads. It’s a complete wellbeing. It means a girl is safe in her body, calm in her mind, and free to learn. That’s her right. The girl in our society is listening.
Menstrual hygiene day means this: A girl’s period should never cost her peace. Shame grows in silence. Dignity grows when we choose care over whispers. The Bible shows us a God who stopped, saw a bleeding woman, and called her “daughter” in public. So, this week, give dignity. Talk to your daughter. Burn the old myths. Run a pad drive. We cannot hand out pads in a verse. But we can hand out pads, privacy and respect. Her period is 5 days. Her shame shouldn’t last a lifetime. End it on 28 May.
