A campaign for period positivity | Ananya Grover

Prevoditelj: Lea Družeić Recezent: Sanda L

Menstruation.

Mjesečnica.

A simple word describing a natural biological process,

Jednostavna riječ koja opisuje prirodni biološki proces,

weighed down by centuries of stigma,

opterećena stoljećima stigme,

has been transformed into something most of us can only speak about

je transformirana u nešto o čemu većina nas može samo pričati

in whispers.

šapćući.

But why?

Zašto?

As I speak to you right now,

Dok vam se obraćam,

more than 800 million women around the world

više od 800 milijuna žena diljem svijeta

are having a period.

ima mjesečnicu.

None of us would exist without it,

Nitko od nas ne bi postojao bez nje,

and yet it remains an "embarrassing" subject to broach.

ali, ostaje ''sramotna'' tema za započeti.

From my experience and that of the women around me,

Iz mojeg iskustva i iskustva mnogo žena oko mene,

I can tell you that it's exhausting.

mogu vam reći da je iscrpljujuće.

It's exhausting to carefully take out a brown paper bag hiding a pad,

Iscrpljujuće je pažljivo vaditi papirnatu vrećicu koja skriva uložak,

stuffing it into your pocket in the middle of a class

gurati je u džep za vrijeme predavanja

and rushing to the washroom as discreetly as possible.

i žuriti u kupaonicu što je moguće diskretnije.

It's exhausting to sit through lessons and meetings

Iscrpljujuće je sjediti na predavanjima i sastancima

pretending to be absolutely normal,

praveći se da je sve apsolutno normalno,

while internally crying out from intense period cramps.

dok iznutra plačete od intenzivnih grčeva.

It's exhausting to be dismissively told that you’re PMSing

Iscrpljujuće je kad vam se svisoka kaže da imate PMS

or suffering from "that time of the month,"

ili da vam je ''to vrijeme u mjesecu,''

and it's exhausting to continuously fight back against age-old traditions

i iscrpljujuće je stalno se boriti protiv stoljetnih tradicija

that ask you not to pray,

koje traže da ne molite,

visit temples, cook, touch pickle and the list goes on and on,

ne posjećujete hramove, kuhate, dodirujete krastavac, popis se nastavlja,

while you're just trying to bleed and be left in peace.

dok vi samo pokušavate krvariti i biti na miru.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

But you know what the worst part is?

Ali, znate li koji je najgori dio?

The worst part is that the things that seem tiring to us

Najgori dio je da stvari koje nam se čine zamornima

are merely the tip of the iceberg,

su jedva vrh ledene sante,

because we in this room are privileged enough

zato što smo mi u ovoj sobi dovoljno privilegirane

to be able to afford sanitary napkins every month,

da smo u mogućnosti priuštiti si sanitarne maramice svaki mjesec,

to be able to visit a gynecologist in case of any problem,

da smo u mogućnosti otići ginekologu u slučaju kakvih problema,

to be able to tell what's normal and abnormal with our monthly cycle.

da smo u mogućnosti reći što je normalno i abnormalno s našim mjesečnim ciklusom.

We have access to water, sanitation and toilets

Imamo pristup vodi, sanitarnim potrepštinama i kupaonicama

that help us maintain our privacy and hygiene.

kako bismo održale privatnost i higijenu.

But what about those who don't?

Što je s onima koje nemaju?

What about 335 million girls around the world

Što je s 335 milijuna djevojaka diljem svijeta

who go to school without even having access to water and soap

koje idu u školu čak bez pristupa vodi i sapunu

to wash their hands?

kako bi oprale ruke?

What about 15-year-old schoolgirls in Kenya

Što sa petnaestogodišnjim školarkama u Keniji

who have to sell their bodies to be able to buy sanitary napkins?

koje se moraju prodavati kako bi mogle kupiti sanitarne maramice?

What about two-thirds of rural high school girls in India

Što s dvije trećine srednjoškolki u ruralnoj Indiji

who don't even understand what their bodies are going through

koje čak ni ne razumiju kroz što im tijelo prolazi

at menarche?

tijekom prve mjesečnice?

And right now, we are all gathered here in the USA.

Sada smo svi okupljeni ovde u SAD-u.

So what about 64 percent of women in St. Louis, Missouri,

Što je sa 64 % žena u St. Louisu u Missouriju,

who weren't able to afford menstrual hygiene supplies

koje nisu bile u mogućnosti priuštiti si higijenske potrepštine

in the previous year?

prošle godine?

What about the struggles of homeless, transgender,

Što je s problemima beskućnika, transrodnih,

intersex and displaced people

interseksualnih i raseljenih ljudi

who menstruate?

koji imaju mjesečnicu?

What about them?

Što s njima?

The scale of the problem,

Opseg problema,

stemming in part from the deep-rooted stigma attached to menstruation,

koji dijelom proizlazi iz ukorijenjenih stigma vezanih za menstruaciju,

is unimaginable.

je nezamisliv.

And the desire to voice this frustration

I želja za izražavanjem ove frustracije

led me, along with three other teammates,

me vodila, zajedno s tri druge kolegice,

to initiate a campaign that calls for change,

da pokrenem kampanju koja poziva na promjenu,

questions the taboos surrounding menstruation

preispituje tabue oko mjesečnice

and spreads period positivity.

i širi pozitivnost vezanu uz mjesečnicu.

The name of our campaign, "Pravahkriti,"

Ime naše kampanje, ''Pravahkriti'',

was born from the message that we want to convey to the world.

je rođeno iz poruke koju mi želimo prenijeti svijetu.

"Pravah" means "flow,"

''Pravah'' znači ''tijek,''

and "kriti" means "a beautiful creation."

a ''kriti'' znači ''prekrasna kreacija.''

Because how could the monthly cycle that ultimately gives rise to all creation

Jer kako mjesečni ciklus, koji je uzrok cijeloj kreaciji,

be anything less than beautiful?

može biti išta manje od prekrasnog?

Now, as a social issue, menstruation has several facets to it

Trenutno, kao socijalni problem mjesečnica ima nekoliko aspekata

that overlap, reinforce and worsen the situation.

koji se poklapaju i pogoršavaju situaciju.

So we based our campaign on four fundamental pillars:

Mi smo bazirale našu kampanju na četiri fundamentalna stupa:

health, hygiene, awareness and spreading positivity.

zdravlje, higijena, svijest i širenje pozitivnosti.

But how did we actually implement this?

Ali, kako smo zapravo to implementirale?

Well, we started within the walls of our school classroom.

Započele smo unutar zidova naše učionice.

Instead of simply explaining menstruation to children

Umjesto da smo jednostavno objasnile mjesečnicu djeci

from a textbook or biological standpoint,

iz udžbenika ili biološke perspektive,

we adopted an innovative approach.

mi smo prihvatile inovativni pristup.

We conducted an activity where students strung together a bracelet

Provele smo aktivnost za vrijeme koje su učenici složili narukvicu

consisting of 28 beads signifying the length of the menstrual cycle,

koja se sastojala od 28 perlica, koje su označavale menstrualni ciklus,

out of which four to seven beads were of a different color,

od kojih su od četiri do sedam perlica bile druge boje,

demonstrating the days a woman bleeds.

demonstrirajući dane za vrijeme kojih žene krvare.

And in this way, we not only explained what periods are

Na ovaj način smo ne samo objasnile što je mjesečnica

in a manner that was educational

edukativno,

but also approachable and engaging.

nego i pristupačno i aktivno.

To offer another example,

Da dam još jedan primjer,

we explored various ways of alleviating cramps,

istraživali smo razne načine olakšanja menstrualnih grčeva,

including preparing some natural remedies in school itself.

uključujući pripremu prirodnih lijekova u školi.

And we didn't just stop at involving girls in our campaign.

I nismo stali samo na uključivanju djevojaka u našu kampanju.

In fact, boys were equally involved,

Ustvari, dječaci su bili jednako uključeni,

and one of our co-team members,

jedan od naših kolega iz tima,

as you saw,

kao što ste vidjeli,

is also a boy.

je također dječak.

Through internal conversations

Kroz privatne razgovore

where girls could freely share their personal experiences

za vrijeme kojih su djevojke mogle slobodno dijeliti svoja iskustva,

and boys could just ask questions, no matter how "dumb" they might seem,

a dječaci su mogli postaviti pitanja bez obzira koliko ''glupa'' ona zvuče,

our male volunteers quickly got over their awkwardness,

naši muški volonteri su brzo prešli preko svoje neugode,

not just supporting but also leading educational sessions.

ne samo podupirući nego i vodeći edukacijske radionice.

Clearly, starting an inclusive conversation,

Očigledno, započinjanje inkluzivnog razgovora,

including members of all genders

uključujući pripadnike svih rodova

and listening to and supporting each other,

te slušanje i međusobno podupiranje,

can go a long way.

može puno pomoći.

Now, to make our campaign successful, we conducted extensive research,

Kako bismo učinile našu kampanju uspješnom, morale smo provesti opširno istraživanje,

interviewed gynecologists,

intervjuirati ginekologe,

ispitivati ljude kako bismo saznale javno mišljenje o mjesečnicama

surveyed people to gauge public opinion on periods

and conducted a panel discussion with professionals working in this field.

i provesti panel raspravu s profesionalcima koji rade u ovom polju.

And then we undertook the journey to create change.

Zatim smo se posvetile putovanju stvaranja promjena.

We organized a stall at Shilpotsav, a local fair,

Organizirale smo štand na lokalnom sajmu Shilpotsav,

where we distributed sanitary napkin-shaped envelopes

gdje smo dijelile omotnice u obliku sanitarnih maramica

and bookmarks containing period-positive messages.

i oznake za knjigu s pozitivnim porukama o mjesečnici.

We donated hundreds of pads that we had collected

Donirale smo stotine uložaka koje smo sakupile

through a pad donation drive at school.

kroz vožnju za donaciju uložaka u školi.

Interacting with young girls in government and charitable schools,

U interakciji s djevojčicama u državnim i dobrotvornim školama,

we explained periods to them through a game of hopscotch

objasnile smo im mjesečnicu kroz igru školice

and distributed period kits that we had made ourselves

i podijelile smo setove pribora za mjesečnicu koje smo same izradile,

that consisted of a pad and other items like a paper soap

a sastojali su se od uložaka te drugih predmeta, poput sapuna

and sanitizer for maintaining hygiene,

i higijenskih sredstava za dezinfekciju;

a piece of dark chocolate just to lift their mood,

komada tamne čokolade, samo za podizanje raspoloženja,

a sachet of ginger tea and so on.

In whatever we did, we strived to think beyond the norm and break barriers,

Pokušavale smo razmišljati izvan norme i razbiti barijere,

be it by creating a physical period tracker

stvaranjem fizičkog kalendara kao pomoć

to help girls without access to the internet

djevojkama bez interneta

to record their monthly cycle,

pratiti mjesečni ciklus,

or sensitizing the masses by performing street plays,

ili senzibiliziranjem masa uličnim predstavama,

or even developing a video game called "Crimson Crusade" --

ili čak razvijanjem videoigre zvane "Grimizni Pohod"

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

that introduces both boys and girls

koja upoznaje sve

to problems faced by menstruating women globally

s globalnim problemima žena,

and players progress in the game

igrači napreduju u igri

by defeating menstrual monsters.

tako što poraze menstrualna čudovišta.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Kako bi ovaj trud opstao, postavili smo u neke škole

To sustain this effort,

we've installed 10 sanitary napkin dispensers in several schools.

10 aparata sanitarnih ubrusa.

Gradually, people's mindsets are changing.

Postupno se razmišljanja ljudi mijenjaju.

But does change come so easily?

Dolazi li promjena tako lako?

At a school for the underprivileged,

U školi za siromašne,

we encountered a girl who had just got her first period

naišli smo na djevojku

koja nije nosila ništa što bi upilo njenu prvu mjesečnicu.

but wasn't wearing anything to absorb the flow.

Imagine being her,

Zamislite da ste ona,

sitting in class feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable,

sjedite na predavanju srameći se,

pogledate dolje i vidite crveno,

looking down and seeing red,

asking your parents for help, asking what was going on with you

pitate roditelje za pomoć i objašnjenje što vam se događa,

and being dismissed.

a oni vam ne pomognu.

Imagine the shame, fear and embarrassment for being "caught" doing something wrong

Zamislite sram, strah i sramotu

zbog "grijeha" koji vas tjeraju da živite u neznanju i tišini,

that forces you into living in ignorance and silence

at the cost of your health and dignity.

pod cijenu vašeg zdravlja i dostojanstva.

While we do our part, our endeavors will only be successful

Dok radimo svoj dio, naša nastojanja bit će samo uspješna

if each one of you internalizes and spreads onward

ako svatko od vas to prihvati

i širi dalje ideju da je mjesečnica sasvim normalna,

the idea that menstruation is completely normal,

if each one of you conveys this message to every person you know.

ako svatko od vas prenese poruku svakome koga poznaje.

When we can discuss digestion, blood circulation and respiration --

Kad možemo razgovarati o probavi, cirkulaciji i disanju,

all natural, biological processes --

svim prirodnim, biološkim procesima,

why should menstruation be off-limits?

zašto ne možemo i o mjesečnici?

And you, too, can help make it less taboo,

I vi možete pomoći da bude manji tabu,

simply by being more open with male friends and family members,

otvorenošću prema svojim muškim prijateljima i članovima obitelji,

supporting local and international organizations

podupirući lokalne i internacionalne organizacije

working to improve menstrual hygiene management,

koje rade na poboljšanju upravljanja menstrualnom higijenom,

making menstrual bracelets with middle school kids in your area

izradom menstrualnih narukvica sa srednjoškolcima iz vašeg područja

or even by playing Crimson Crusade with your friends.

ili čak igrajući Grimizni Pohod sa prijateljima.

Every small steps counts, because brushing this topic under the carpet

Svaki mali korak je važan jer guranje ove teme pod tepih

perpetuates lack of access to sanitary absorbents,

pomaže nedostatku pristupa sanitarnim apsorbensima,

ignorance of menstrual health issues,

nepoznavanju problema o menstrualnom zdravlju,

school absenteeism, infection and so much more.

izostancima iz škole, infekcijama i većim problemima.

I'd like to end with a few lines a volunteer wrote for us:

Završila bih s nekoliko redaka koje je volonter napisao za nas:

"Let the crimson tide turn.

''Neka se grimizna plima okrene.

Let there be waves of positivity,

Neka bude valova pozitivnosti,

thundering applause,

gromoglasnog pljeska,

villages full of women who bleed with pride.

sela gdje žene ponosno krvare.

Let there be a scent of education

Neka bude mirisa edukacije

drifting through the oxygen inhaled by men, women and children.

koji lebdeći kroz kisik svi udišu.

Let all know the marvels of menstruation

Neka svi znaju za čudo mjesečnice

and celebrate Pravahkriti."

i slave Pravahkriti.''

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)