Period Poverty in Gaza.

Women and girls in Gaza are forced to resort to unsafe ways to manage their periods and feminine hygiene amid the catastrophic living conditions Palestinians are living in as a result of the continuing Israeli offensive in Gaza. Due to the siege on Gaza, there is little to no access to water, food, gas, electricity, and medical supplies- including feminine hygiene products. Displaced families are now living in camps with overcrowded conditions. The lack of hygiene products, privacy, medical care, and clean water make managing the menstrual cycle extremely difficult for women and girls during the war, forcing them to resort to unsafe ways to go about their periods such as period-delaying tablets. 

Period poverty is defined as “having insufficient access to menstrual products, education, and sanitation facilities.” (Jaafar et al.) 

In the current genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza, women especially have been struggling due to the inability to manage their menstrual cycles. Rafah is hosting more than 1.4 million displaced people in camps with overcrowded living conditions. The lack of water makes keeping clean impossible; many women have gone weeks without showering, and UNRWA estimates that there is only one toilet per 486 people in the shelters in Rafah. Additionally, out of 3 pipelines of water from Israel to Gaza, only one is working according to UNOCHA.

“People are only accessing an average of 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day – which is below the 3 liters needed for their basic survival, and well below the minimum 15 liters required per person each day to cover all water and sanitation-related needs, including washing.“ (ActionAid International)

These dire living conditions have forced women to manage their periods in unsafe ways, including using tent scraps as pads and consuming period-delaying pills. Using scraps of tents and clothing as a substitute for pads can increase the risk of infections and fatal toxic shock syndrome. (Hearst) Period-delaying pills, or norethisterone tablets, are usually prescribed for women with severe pain or bleeding during their cycle. (Amer)

These pills are much more accessible than sanitary menstrual products because they are typically not used as often, so there is an abundance, and many women feel shame, stress, and embarrassment from managing their period during a dire situation, making the pills an easier option for women than looking for sanitary products in the few pharmacies open.

According to Dr Walid Abu Hatab, an obstetrics and gynecology medical consultant at the Nasser Medical Complex in the southern city of Khan Younis, "the tablets keep progesterone hormone levels raised to stop the uterus from shedding its lining, thus delaying a period.” While this pill may seem like a great option for women who do not have access to period products, it can have harmful short and long-term side effects such as irregular vaginal bleeding, nausea, changes to the menstrual cycle, lower and abdominal back pain, dizziness, insomnia, constant nervousness, extreme tension and mood swings. (Hearst) Without a medical professional to consult before taking these pills, it can be dangerous for women to consume them and can have a long-term impact on their reproductive health as well. 

Moreover, there is no privacy while living in Rafah’s shelters, as illustrated earlier. According to article 12 of ICESCR, “The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.” (United Nations) The current condition that Palestinian women are living in does not fulfill this human right. It is a humanitarian responsibility to advocate for access to menstrual hygiene products to the 700,000 displaced women in Gaza. (ReliefWeb)

This Women’s History Month is all about honoring the strength and resilience of the Palestinian women during a time of war. Gaza needs a permanent ceasefire to end the senseless killing of civilians, with women and girls making up 70% of those killed, and to allow aid to reach those who need it.

You don’t have to be Arab or Muslim to support Palestine, you just have to be human. 

References

Amer, Linah Alsaafin,Ruwaida. “No Privacy, No Water: Gaza Women Use Period-Delaying Pills amid War.” Al Jazeera, 31 Oct. 2023, www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/31/no-privacy-no-water-gaza-women-use-period-delaying-pills-amid-war.

Hearst, Katherine. “War on Gaza: Women Cut up Tents for Period Products.” Middle East Eye, 22 Jan. 2024, www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-women-cut-tents-period-products-and-endure-c-sections-without-anaesthesia#:~:text=With%20limited%20access%20to%20running. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024.

Jaafar, Hafiz, et al. “Period Poverty: A Neglected Public Health Issue.” Korean Journal of Family Medicine, vol. 44, no. 4, May 2023, https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.22.0206.

Nations, United. “Half a Century of a Right to Health?” United Nations, www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/half-century-right-health#:~:text=The%20right%20to%20health%20is.

“Women and Girls Sheltering for Their Lives in Gaza Face Dire Lack of Sexual and Reproductive Health Supplies, Disease Outbreak - Occupied Palestinian Territory | ReliefWeb.” Reliefweb.int, 30 Oct. 2023, reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/women-and-girls-sheltering-their-lives-gaza-face-dire-lack-sexual-and-reproductive-health-supplies-disease-outbreak.

“Women in Gaza Resort to Using Scraps of Tent in Place of Period Products and Go Weeks without Showering amid Dire Humanitarian Conditions | ActionAid International.” Actionaid.org, 18 Jan. 2024, actionaid.org/news/2024/women-gaza-resort-using-scraps-tent-place-period-products-and-go-weeks-without-showering.