Keeping men away from menstrual issues contributes to the stigmatisation of the natural monthly cycle women go through, Alhaji Alhassan Ibn Ibrahim, a Gender Advocate, has asserted.

He said getting men involved in conversations on menstrual hygiene would make them appreciate the importance of supporting women during their monthly flow.

Speaking at a learning and sharing workshop for girls and young women under the “She Leads Project” in Kumasi, Alhaji Ibrahim underlined the need to educate boys on menstruation both at home and in school to understand and support their female siblings and colleagues.

This, he said, was the way to go as people in addressing stigmatisation of young girls during menstruation especially in the school environment.

He appealed to teachers and parents to educate the boy child on menstruation by reminding them that it was not a taboo but a natural occurrence that girls must not be ridiculed for.

Alhaji Ibrahim who is also a member of the Regional Child Protection Committee, emphasised the need to protect girls from various forms of abuses including menstrual stigmatisation to build their confidence to compete with their male counterparts.

The workshop which was held on the theme, “Advancing Girls and Young Women rights: Sharing of Lessons, Challenges, and Strategies for Sustainability beyond 2025”, brought together selected beneficiaries and partners of the She Leads Project from all the implementing districts.

It provided a platform for girls and young women and partners of the Project to share their experiences on how the project had impacted their lives.

Girls’ advocates under the project shared their experiences, challenges, and best practices from their safe space meetings during panel discussions to encourage other participants to build their confidence as young girls.

They also gave updates on their participation in a National Girls Leadership Bootcamp and its impact on girls and young women advocacy work on the She Leads Project.

She Leads is a five-year project which seeks to increase sustained influence of girls and young women in decision-making and the transformation of gender norms in formal and informal institutions.

It is a joint programme of Plan International Netherlands, Defence for Children –ECPAT the Netherlands (DCI-ECPAT), African Women’s Development and communication Network (FEMNET) and Terre des Hommes the Netherlands.

In Ghana, the project is being implemented by Defence for Children International Ghana (DCI-Ghana) in partnership with Erudite Women Empowerment Foundation and Rights and Responsibilities Initiatives Ghana in 10 districts in the Ashanti Region.