By Emelda Siama John Lopula
A senior one student at Bright Boma Secondary School in Juba city has appealed for eradication of bullying of girls when they witness some mess during menstruation.
Amok Maker sounded the appeal to male teachers, men in the communities, boys in the classes, and at homes, on Thursday, during 2023 commemoration of International Menstrual Hygiene Day.
She urged the opposite sex to create enabling environments for girls to feel safe and accepted when experiencing menstruation.
Amok also emphasized the need for girls to be trained on proper menstrual hygiene management skills.
The student lauded organizers of the occasion for giving them the privilege to represent girls in South Sudan and air out challenges of menstrual hygiene management.
She noted that girls and women in South Sudan who face a number of challenges in managing their menstrual issues, for ages have been kept in the dark about their ordeals.
Amok disclosed that menstruation issue is considered a taboo, as such, should not be spoken about in public.
“We girls experience hardship in accessing affordable pads due to higher prices of sanitary materials. This leads to some of us missing school. Irregular periods also cause infections,” Amok noted.
She stressed aspects of limited provision of free sanitary pads, inadequate washrooms for girl to use during menstruation, coupled with lack of secure disposal facilities for used pads.
“Many girls got unintended pregnancies due to a lack of information on menstruation. In most cases neither our parents nor schools give us the needed information,” the student lamented.
She decried locking of girls in abusive marriages as a result of early pregnancies.
Amok urged parents to be supportive to girls during menstruation and maintain open communication to prevent them from getting into problems.
The event to commemorate International menstrual hygiene manage day was organized by Ministry of General Education and Instruction, UNFPA, AfriYAN South Sudan and other organizations.