15 Photos That Show How Traumatic Period Stigma Is in This Nepalese Village

Imagine being forbidden from eating with family members, sleeping at home, looking in the mirror or at the sun, and even touching fruit, flowers or male relatives just because you are considered "contaminated" while menstruating. In many parts of the world, gender inequality is so severe that young women and girls are excluded from their communities because simply because they menstruate. These photos, taken by seven teenage girls in a small rural village in Sindhuli, Nepal, document the restrictions forced onto them when they are on their period. The project is part of a campaign by the international nonprofit, WaterAid, to challenge menstrual taboos and call for improved sanitation for women everywhere. According to a recent report from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), over 500 million girls and women around the world lack availability to tools for managing their periods.

A lack of period products like pads and tampons is further compounded by limited access to water, acceptable sanitation, and hygiene. Not only are menstruating women and girls shunned from their communities, but a lack of education about sexual health leads people to pass down superstitions that strip the women and girls of their dignity. The stigma surrounding periods has caused these issue to continue without improvement because the affected have been forced to suffer in silence — until now. This was the first time the girls from Sindhuli had ever used a camera, and they proudly exhibited their work in the community to help facilitate open discussion around menstrual taboos.