SHARMIN KABIR
Making periods safe, manageable and a source of pride for all Bangladeshi women and girls
Bangladesh
When Sharmin got her first period at 13 years old she had no idea what was happening to her body. Her teachers and parents had never spoken to her about it, and the experience of dealing with these changes on her own severely affected her confidence. Sharmin used rags to manage her bleeding until her elder sister eventually handed her a sanitary pad, with no explanation. She worked out that the pad was to use during that awkward, shameful and frightening time of the month.
Years later, Sharmin was developing an educational curriculum for young students at a prestigious institution. Working closely with adolescent boys and girls, she observed subtle changes, such as girls avoiding extracurricular activities or missing school for a week at a time. She gradually noticed the profound impact of puberty changes on young girls, and recognised the urgent need to destigmatize discussions around puberty and menstrual hygiene.
In Bangladesh, centuries of patriarchal, religious, and cultural conditioning have made it a social taboo to speak about menstruation. Consequently, many girls, like Sharmin in her youth, lack knowledge on safely managing their periods, resulting in school absences and the use of unhygienic materials like rags or leaves to prevent clothing stains.
The scale of this issue peaked when Sharmin saw on the news that a young Bangladeshi girl had died a completely preventable death due to not being able to speak about her period. She had secretly rinsed her menstrual rag and was drying it under the house. Before dawn, she collected the rag and quickly placed it in her underwear. Without the girl knowing, a tiny baby snake entered her body and, heartbreakingly, killed her. Sharmin heard this story and thought, ‘Enough is enough! We cannot allow girls to experience shame like this anymore!’
Sharmin took action that day and made a bold career change. She quit her job in education and assembled a team of health professionals to run workshops in schools, teaching girls how to manage their periods safely and hygienically.
In 2016, she founded Wreetu whose mission goes beyond providing knowledge on reproductive health, to addressing the psychological factors that keep girls feeling ashamed and insecure.
An important part of normalising periods is including boys in the conversation. So Sharmin presents menstruation as a gender-neutral topic, encouraging open discussions with all students, breaking down societal barriers.
In order to make her work accessible and interesting to young people, Sharmin has created a fun comic book about puberty changes that she distributes at her workshops. The book has been widely embraced by NGOs, the government, and educational institutions. Wreetu has distributed over 16,000 copies, sparking positive conversations about reproductive health all over Bangladesh. Wreetu also manufactures reusable sanitary pads to distribute for free to girls who can’t afford them.
Sharmin is now bringing her work into the home by renovating and constructing women-friendly toilet blocks and showers in Dhaka’s crowded slum communities. The public blocks create safety, hygiene, and privacy for thousands of women and girls who used to fear going to the bathroom. Sharmin is working with local people, businesses and slum landlords to ensure the facilities are well maintained and self-sustainable.
Sharmin plans to scale up her groundbreaking projects and continue advocating for reproductive justice. She envisions a Bangladesh where all people understand the power of women’s bodies and are equipped to manage them safely and confidently every day of the month.
“I want every girl to know that it’s natural and they should be proud of it. I want them to know that having their period empowers them to bring another human into the world!”
— SHARMIN
Make a donation for Sharmin to put where it’s needed most or check out her current projects below.
Contact jo@justpeoples.org to learn more about how you can support Sharmin’s work.