When 12-year-old Mamta of Shravasti had her first period, her parents decided to stop sending her to school and started her marriage preparations.
Mamata was married to a boy of neighbouring Bhinga village around 4 years back. Her parents started preparations for her ‘gauna’ (ceremonial shifting of a girl to her husband’s house from her parents’ place) post puberty, without even thinking about the health hazards and special care required for the girl who was taken off school and made busy with household chores.
In Malihabad’s Birpur village, Saraswati, 16, got married two years back. “I use a tattered piece of cloth during my periods. I have learnt it from my mother,” she said. When asked whether she had heard about sanitary napkins, the girl said, “Maine nahi liya. Is par paisa kaun kharcha karega. (I have not bought it. Who will spend money on it).”
Even as society is opening up, puberty still rings wedding bells in the life of some teenage girls. It is another matter that after marriage, they struggle hard to shoulder family responsibilities.
In Varanasi’s Arajiline block, there have been several such cases. An activist Swati Singh said, “Puberty for parents means the girl has grown up. Fearing that she may get involved in a love affair or fall prey to crime against women, the parents find marriage a solution.”
Singh organized Masika Mahotsav to sensitise girls about menstrual hygiene, which everyone ignores. “During those five days girls need utmost care and nutrition. Bleeding makes girls worried and they are discriminated against within the family. This is a mental trauma,” she added.