Breaking the Silence on Period Poverty in Sri Lanka – a teacher’s perspective  

Period poverty affects every aspect of everyday lives of Sri Lankan women, says Ms. Kalpani Chathurika Teacher in Charge – Counselling Unit – Newstead Girls College Negombo, a teacher who is closely involved with initiatives on breaking the cycle of period poverty. 

“Every day, Sri Lankan school girls face prejudice and secrecy surrounding period poverty which impacts their lives and their education in many ways.” She points out.

The cost of period poverty is not always seen –

It is unseen yet impacts school days and access to extracurricular activities and leaves a taste of discouragement among your girls, she says.

“Every day, teachers see this happening in classrooms. Attendance drops and girls miss lessons. Or they sit through in discomfort and cannot focus on lessons. To add to that, they lack access to period resources such as sanitary towels. “ 

In our society, menstrual health is still linked to cultural taboos. Young girls face many prejudices which can easily be overcome with awareness. While schools can integrate menstrual health into the regular health curriculum for both girls and boys, overcoming period poverty through awareness remains key to mitigating these prejudices.

“There should be an open dialogue that encourages talking about taboo subjects which are traditionally avoided. This way, children, parents and teachers can have a healthy dialogue on ways to improve period poverty and seek greater knowledge on the subject.”

For many teachers, the reality in the classroom and outside it speaks of the tremendous burden placed on the young students. Some students reach out and ask for help yet others avoid it altogether, carrying their burdens silently. Yet others avoid school on menstruation days since they fear being seen with blood on their clothes. 

“ In communities where education matters to every individual, these shortcomings can easily be rectified with awareness – in schools and the community itself.”

“The community needs to bring everyone in on discussions on the topic, normalizing periods and menstruation. Yet another solution is to provide low cost sanitary products in schools and community centres.”

She believes that involving boys and men in awareness drives so menstruation stops being a “women only” topic. When the topic is normalised, having a conversation on understanding what menstruation does and what support young students need, is easily addressed.

Every society must be able to address these issues without being prejudiced or held back by tradition and beliefs out of date. .

Period poverty is not just a health issue. It is a question of gender equality and human rights. Ensuring that every girl has the resources and support to manage her period safely and with dignity is an investment in the nation’s future. By providing access to products and education and by challenging taboos, Sri Lanka can guarantee that no girl’s education is interrupted by a natural biological process, she adds in conclusion.