The Sanitary Pad Media Campaign (SPMC) has called for the deliberate inclusion of boys and young men in menstrual health education, saying early engagement is necessary to build a more informed and supportive society.

The call was made during an India-Nigeria webinar titled, “Including Boys in Menstrual Health Conversations: The Indian-Nigerian Conversation,” organised by SPMC to examine the impact of excluding boys from discussions on menstruation.

The webinar brought together public health professionals, advocates, educators and psychologists from Nigeria and India to discuss the need to address stigma, misinformation and the culture of silence surrounding menstruation.

Speaking during the webinar, the Convener of SPMC, Anikeade Funke-Treasure, described menstrual health as a family issue, saying behavioural change must begin with individuals before extending to families, communities and institutions.

“Menstrual health is family health. Without proper menstrual well-being, the foundation for creating a sustainable family life will be faulty and challenging,” she said.

Funke-Treasure said a bottom-to-top approach was needed to achieve the behavioural change required to improve menstrual health and dignity.

She, therefore, called on parents, educators, policymakers, media organisations, youth-focused organisations and community leaders to deliberately include boys in menstrual health education.

She added that early engagement would help create a society where menstruation is understood rather than stigmatised and menstrual dignity becomes a shared responsibility.

A Public Health Researcher, Dr. Sagarika Limaye, said excluding boys from menstrual health education could reinforce the culture of secrecy around menstruation.

“When menstrual health sessions are conducted, boys are left out, and this unintentionally teaches girls that periods should be hidden from boys and leaves boys uninformed,” she said.

Limaye said boys should be included because menstruators interact with non-menstruators as brothers, friends, classmates, colleagues, partners, fathers and members of the wider community.

Also speaking, the Programme Coordinator of the Citizens Participation Advancement and Awareness Initiative (CPAAI), Funmi Olorunmola, said educating boys and men could turn them from gatekeepers into advocates for menstrual health.

“When men are educated, they become advocates, breaking period poverty and transforming from gatekeepers into facilitators of change. To empower a girl, we must also educate the world around her,” she said.

Olorunmola added that the way males respond to menstruation could affect a girl’s sense of dignity.

Counsellor and Psychologist, Samiran Ghodmare, said social expectations and traditional notions about boys often leave them uninformed about menstrual health.

“We all need to rethink. We need to be more mindful and more inclusive to break the cycle of excluding boys from menstrual health conversations,” he said.

The discussion, moderated by SPMC’s Communication Manager, Bolanle Oluwayemi, also highlighted the need for age-appropriate menstrual health information in schools, families and communities.

Participants called for the creation of safe spaces where menstruation can be discussed openly, while challenging stigma and misinformation surrounding menstrual health.

They noted that the attitudes boys develop while growing up could influence how they respond to menstruators later in life as brothers, friends, classmates, partners, husbands, fathers, colleagues and leaders.