The Forbidden Truth

I was raised mostly by women at my household. My two sisters and mother have been supporting me from my childhood to this day. However, regarding one issue, everyone in the house would always be aloof. I remember once asking one of my sisters what a period is and the answer was “It’s for older people to know.” Stepping into my late-teens, I still had no idea how it works and by then, I was too afraid to ask any women, judging from the reactions I got from my sisters. The only thing my guy friends and everyone else taught me was that women would get angry at everything once every month. The only information I had access to, would dehumanise women even further (surprise, surprise). It’s not as if we’re afraid of all bodily functions or else my dad would come up to me on my twelfth birthday and say “Son, you poop. You can’t tell anyone about it. No one must know.” My question is, what happens if a child knows about menstruation? What damage will they cause to themselves or others with that knowledge that it has to be kept from everyone?

— Rumman R Kalam, In-charge, SHOUT