12-year-old kills herself over period-shaming. Time to wake up now?
In a tragic case, a 12-year-old student in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelvelli killed herself allegedly after she was period-shamed by her teacher. Earlier, the teacher allegedly told her off in front of everyone for staining her clothes. Then she jumped off a 25-foot-high building. In India, periods bring with them many setbacks into women's lives, including the possible loss of a bright future.
"I can't understand why they are harassing and torturing me like this," the victim said in her suicide note. According to her mother, this teacher had beat her daughter earlier too for not doing homework. One day before her suicide, she started menstruating while in school. She was then made to stand outside the class. A case of abetment of suicide has been filed.
In India, a natural process like menstruation often becomes a source of embarrassment for a female. A 2016 TISS study surveyed one lakh girls: 80% weren't allowed to enter shrines during periods; 60% weren't allowed to enter kitchens; and 30% were lodged in a separate room. A 2010 AC Nielsen study found 23% of Indian girls drop out of school when they start menstruating.
For many women, headaches, cramps, mood swings, physical weakness and more are common during periods. According to one study, complexities during menstruation can even increase tendency to commit suicide. At such times, being treated like an outcast can complicate matters further.
On one hand, there are people like Surekha Tomar, former principal-cum-warden of a Muzaffarnagar school, who stripped students to "check for menstrual blood". On another, organizations like Culture Machine and Mathrubhumi have extended 'First Day of Period' leave to women to fight taboos. People should understand menstruation is natural; if not, the least they can do is refrain from insulting something they don't understand.
