Daily Times

KARACHI: Kolhar Bayee, a girl married in her early age in Tharparkar district of Sindh province fell prey to traditional norms and was unable to control her normal excretory functions.

Kolhar, a dweller of remote village was married when she was near to her puberty, she became pregnant and her small underdeveloped body was not ready for the stress of childbirth and after tough labour, she had a stillbirth. On this account, Kolhar suffered crippling injuries and suffered from obstetric fistula for 14 years.

She became victim of obstetric fistula, a medical condition in which a hole, fistula develops between the pelvic and genital cavities following a difficult childbirth.

Menstruation is often viewed as a sign of both maturity and adulthood and girls are viewed as woman of potentially marriageable age. Early marriage significantly increases the risk of child pregnancy and repeated pregnancy without adequate birth spacing, and increases the risk of complications such as fistula.

Early marriage poses a significant risk, as it is often associated with early pregnancy. A United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report said that pregnancy and childbirth often have a negative impact on a girl’s health, education, potential income and future, leading to a greater risk of poverty, exclusion and powerlessness.

World celebrates Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD) every year today (May 28), as an annual awareness day, aiming to break taboos and raise awareness about the importance of good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for women and adolescent girls worldwide. MHM is defined as the process of the absorption of menstrual blood onto clean material, which can be changed in privacy as often as necessary for the duration of menstruation.

Sindh Assembly in April 2014 passed the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2013 prohibiting marriage of children below 18 years.

A physician Dr Shershah Syed said, “Kolhar had a simple 20-minute surgery involving less than Rs 1,000 at the Mithi Hospital and left for her village the very next day.” According to Dr Shershah, females in Pakistan are mostly unaware about reproductive rights. Dr Shershah advised that people have little awareness about it and since it is prohibited in society little is discussed on that. Menstruation and menstrual related problems should be discussed with young boys and girls to make them aware as it could reduce disability rate.

A survey said that girls who continue to attend school during menstruation are more likely to face psychological problems, negatively affecting concentration and thus impacting learning.

“Menstruation negatively affects the school attendance of the girls,” said a survey report conducted by Association for Gender Awareness and Human Empowerment based on MHM project implemented in 50 government girl schools in district Muzaffargarh, Punjab. According to a survey, 30 percent girls stopped attending school during menstruation.