Aditi Gupta: A taboo-free way to talk about periods
אדיטי גופטה: דרך חופשייה מטאבו לדבר על מחזור
Aditi Gupta uses storytelling and art to educate young girls about menstruation. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
goes through every month
תלויים בה.
of our species depends on it.
and shameful talking about it.
a secret from others --
appeared in our textbooks,
בספרי הלימוד שלנו
shameful to talk about it.
are not aware of menstruation
לא יודעות מה זה וסת
out of 10 girls being unaware of it.
מתוך עשר נערות שאינן יודעות דבר.
that I have spoken to,
at the time of their first menstruation
בזמן המחזור הראשון שלהן
is a very important risk factor
בעל חשיבות מכרעת
of girls and women
of managing their periods.
unhygienic ways to manage their periods.
באמצעים לא היגייניים לטפל במחזור שלהן.
called Garhwa, in Jharkhand,
is considered shameful.
נחשב לדבר מבייש.
I would wash and reuse them.
ומשתמשת שוב.
in a dark, damp place
that I'm menstruating.
the rags would become coarse,
הסחבות הפכו למחוספסות,
and infections using them.
וזיהומים בגלל השימוש בהן.
until I moved out of that town.
עד שעזבתי את העיירה הזו.
that periods brought in my life
and women when they're on their periods.
for the few who don't.
המעטים מכם שאינם מודעים.
or some other family member's bed.
או על המיטה של חלק מבני המשפחה.
after every period,
אחרי כל מחזור,
any object of religious importance.
חפץ שיש לו חשיבות דתית.
of menstruating girls and women.
on younger girls in a family.
על נשים צעירות במשפחתה.
accepting such restrictions as norms.
מקבלות את ההגבלות האלו כנורמות.
from generation to generation.
and wash their dishes separately.
ולשטוף את הכלים שלהן בנפרד.
to take baths during periods,
secluded from other family members.
מבני משפחה אחרים.
and women in India
customs on their periods every month.
בתקופת המחזור שלהן בכל חודש.
and self-confidence of a young girl?
that this inflicts,
during her early formative years?
המוקדמות, המעצבות האלו?
restrictive customs for 13 years,
האלו במשך 13 שנה,
about menstruation forever.
our postgraduation in design.
discussing periods with him.
that girls get painful cramps
התכווצויות כואבות
upon menstruating girls and women
נשים ונערות בזמן מחזור
and learn more about menstruation.
about menstruation myself.
על וסת בעצמי.
actually turned out to be myths.
who would be ill-informed, too.
שם בחוץ עם ידע מוטעה.
the lack of awareness about menstruation
על חוסר המודעות לגבי המחזור החודשי
and misconception is a rural phenomenon,
ותפיסות מוטעות שלו היא בעיה כפרית,
an urban phenomenon as well.
urban class, also.
parents and teachers,
wanted to educate girls about periods
לחנך נערות על המחזור
getting their menstrual cycle.
the proper means themselves.
and shameful in talking about it.
in classes six and seven,
only in standard eight and nine.
skip the subject altogether.
teach girls about periods,
and we wondered:
about menstruation on their own --
parents and teachers
comfortably to young girls?
of girls during their periods.
של בנות במהלך המחזור שלהן.
curious and interested
למתעניינות וסקרניות
in their close circle.
that would make the girls curious
to teach girls about periods.
כדי ללמד בנות על מחזור.
would enact these stories
ישחקו את הסיפורים האלה
in a fun and engaging way.
in their different phases of puberty,
during the narrative of the book
been getting her period.
about the various aspects of growing up
את האספקטים השונים של התבגרות
were objectionable in any way
we found that the girls loved the book.
גילינו שהבנות אהבו את הספר.
about periods on their own.
comfortable in talking about periods
were interested in reading it.
in creating an environment
themselves to educate girls
של הספר בעצמם כדי לחנך בנות
in five different states in India.
בחמש מדינות שונות בהודו.
took this prototype to educate young monks
כדי ללמד נזירים צעירים
called "Menstrupedia Comic"
שנקרא "מנסטרופדיה קומיק."
educated by using the book in India and --
תוך שימוש בספר בהודו --
into different languages
in different countries.
a part of their school curriculum
של בית הספר
teachers, school principals,
drive to their own communities,
learn about periods at the right age
where menstruation is not a curse,
to all the parents here.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Aditi Gupta - Social entrepreneur, co-founder of MenstrupediaAditi Gupta uses storytelling and art to educate young girls about menstruation.
Why you should listen
Aditi Gupta is a social entrepreneur and co-founder of Menstrupedia, working towards spreading awareness about menstruation. While studying at the National Institute of Design as a Ford Foundation research scholar, she has conducted extensive research in understanding the scenario of menstrual unawareness in India and its impact on a girl's life. She has designed effective educational tools for girls and schools using storytelling and sequential art for educating young girls about periods in a society where the subject is a major taboo.
Menstrupedia Comic is a complete guide on periods designed by Menstrupedia team being used by more than 30 schools across India. The books are being distributed in other countries like Nepal, South America and Nigeria.
Gupta is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and made it to the achiever's list of Forbes India 30 under 30 in 2014 for her work towards breaking the taboo around menstruation. She is a International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumni. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNBC and BBC. She aspires to create a future where menstruation is not a taboo but a welcoming change in a girl's life.
Aditi Gupta | Speaker | TED.com