BY: Shallon S. Gonlor
NIMBA COUNTY — An eminent female of Liberia and a daughter of Nimba County, Ms. Wokie Dolo has made a donation of sanitary pads to female inmates at the Sanniquellie Central Prison amid a call due to the lack of sanitary napkins and health concerns at the prison facility.
The Monday, February 19, 2024 edition of WomenVoicesPaper published an article captioned “No Sanitary Pad At the Sanniquellie Central Prison”.
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Women Voices reported the news of female prisoners at the Sanniquellie Central Prison’s dehumanizing experience during their menstruation period due to the lack of sanitary napkins and health care delivery.
Among several challenges, the female inmates have decried the lack of adequate toilets with running water, privacy, and menstrual hygiene supplies as constituting degrading treatment in violation of international human rights law, and the rights of women and girls to manage menstruation with dignity.
According to the report, the health of female prisoners is among the poorest at the only prison facility in the county and the apparent inequalities pose both a challenge and an opportunity for adequate health systems.
In-kind donations over the weekend, the imprisoned women received large donations of hundreds of pieces of feminine hygiene products from a private individual, Ms. Wokie Dolo who collected pads, tampons, and other sanitary products to help the women deal with their periods.
The kind gesture comes as the female prisoners are witnessing historic levels of menstruation, and the lack of food items is in desperately short supply.
In remarks during the donation, Ms. Dolo said the intervention was triggered by a wake-up call in the news, and the unprecedented needs of the women imprisoned, stressing the significance of the donation to help female inmates address their dignity and privacy during the menstrual period.
The menstrual cycle is a natural process. It is a complex cycle controlled by female hormones that cause regular bleeding (periods). The menstrual cycle has four phases: menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase. Some women may experience menstrual problems, which include heavy bleeding.
She further noted that women who are unable to obtain sanitary napkins use rags when they get their period, which has been caused by “chafing and skin infections”.
According to her, women suffer the worst effects of the absence of personal hygiene materials, especially during the menstrual cycle, which requires particular attention to hygiene.
During her emergency visit, the defeated candidate of Montserrado District#17 distributes dignity kits, which contain disposable and reusable menstrual pads, and other hygiene supplies.
Receiving the donation, the Superintendent of Sanniquellie Central Prison, Mr. Charles Z. Mahn lauded Ms. Dolo for the donation, terming the intervention as timely, and service to humanity.
Mr. Mahn said the donated sanitary pads have already made a positive impact on the lives of the imprisoned women.
COMMON MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS
Some of the more common menstrual problems include:
* Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) – hormonal events before a period can trigger a range of side effects in women at risk, including fluid retention, headaches, fatigue, and irritability.
* Dysmenorrhoea – or painful periods. It is thought that the uterus is prompted by certain hormones to squeeze harder than necessary to dislodge its lining.
* Heavy menstrual bleeding (previously known as menorrhagia) – if left untreated, this can cause anemia. and
* Amenorrhoea – or absence of menstrual periods. This is considered abnormal, except during pre-puberty, pregnancy, lactation , and postmenopause. Possible causes include low or high body weight and excessive exercise.
