Menstruation in Times of War
“What a world do we live in where drinking a cup of coffee and using a laptop is a privilege and a dream?”
(@byplestia via Instagram)
When considering the devastation that has been experienced in Gaza since the escalation of the Israel-Hamas crisis on the 7th of October, it feels unsettling to reflect upon the juxtaposition of violence and destruction through which Palestinians exist as opposed to the privileges of Western bodies. While Gaza residents endure daily distress and uncertainty, wondering if or how they will continue to live, people in the West get to exist comfortably, despite residing in the very countries that are enabling the deterioration of the Palestinian people. After reading the journal entry above by Palestinian activist, Plestia Alaqad, I felt especially taken aback by her question, “What a world do we live in where drinking a cup of coffee and using a laptop is a privilege and a dream?”. With the current blockade, Palestinians in Gaza have little—if any—access to essential materials, including food, fuel, and water. Meanwhile, I take it for granted that every day I get to brush my teeth, shower, and sleep in a sheltered room without fear.
Moreover, every month, as I dread the aches and annoyances of menstruation, I never have to worry about where, how, or if I can find sanitary products or a toilet to use. Yet, the Israeli blockade has uniquely impacted Palestinians who menstruate, with around 700,000 women having limited access to period products, water, and toilet paper. Menstruators in Palestine have been left in an extraordinarily vulnerable position, in which their health and livelihoods are being severely infringed upon.
Within the few Gazan pharmacies that have remained open, there is an insufficient supply of pads and other sanitary products. Furthermore, the pads that are sporadically accessible in these pharmacies are “five and six times their normal price”, resulting in accessibility for only higher-class Palestinians. While there has been humanitarian aid sent into the Gaza Strip, women’s rights activist Jumana Shahin explains that the scale of this humanitarian crisis has led to a prioritization of food and medical aid, and, in turn, a neglect of supplying sanitary products. Due to these limits, Palestinian women have expressed to news reporters at Middle East Eye that many have turned to using strips of cloth from their tents as sanitary pads amid the shortage. This use of unclean materials for sanitary products puts these women at high risk of infection and toxic shock syndrome.
The combination of limited water access alongside decreasing menstrual products has led to Palestinians taking menstruation-delaying pills. These pills are called ‘norethisterone tablets’ and can put users at risk of health effects including nausea, irregular menstruation, and dizziness. While these side effects may not seem remarkably drastic, when paired with the mental and physical toll of living within a war zone, any additional impairment to health is substantially dangerous. However, because menstruators cannot safely access water or sanitary products, they are subject to a position in which their health will face detrimental impacts regardless.
To make matters worse, the stigma and shame surrounding menstruation is exacerbated for Palestinians throughout the crisis. Ruba Akkila expressed to NPR that periods remain taboo, even in wartime. This persisting negative stigma—through which menstruation is shunned and discouraged from conversation—deters Palestinians from seeking support, causing menstruators to be hesitant to mobilise and therefore mitigating their access to the few menstruation services available. According to Relief Web, Palestinian menstruators are subject to a position of intensified vulnerability and are at risk of social isolation due to the embarrassment and shame surrounding menstruation.
As of the 5th of January, “690,000 menstruating women and adolescent girls…have limited access to hygiene products.” While jarring, this number is extremely difficult to comprehend, as it can be exhausting to attempt to fully recognize the extreme impact that this war has had on so many lives. However, looking at this crisis through the lens of menstruation can help to fight against the feeling of withdrawal that emerges when reading the news from a position of privilege in a non-impacted part of the world. Because menstruation is a universal process that regularly subjects bodies to discomfort, noticing how Palestinians with periods are uniquely harmed by this humanitarian crisis enables a relationality that can help us grasp the devastating intricacies of the impacts of this war on human lives. When considering the day-to-day life of a singular Palestinian person and imagining how they must cope with unsafely menstruating amid an ongoing war that has destroyed their country and people, the brutality of this conflict becomes far more personal.
Rather than getting bogged down by the complex political and historical nuances, relentless news cycles, and horrifying statistics that have emerged from this conflict, it is critical to continue engaging with the news and aim to embolden the lives that are being most impacted. While it feels as though there is little that can be done to help Palestinians, the least that people of privilege can do is uncover how individual lives are being affected and engage with empathy.
We can continue to reflect upon our own lives and the daily privileges that we have. As we participate in these practices of reading and reflecting, it is important to continue questioning and challenging the status quo. By viewing this struggle through an intersectional lens, one can recognize that amid the context of violence and brutality that all Palestinians are currently living in, menstruators are facing additional infringements to their humanity.
So, rather than conforming to the naturalization of violence and turning a blind eye to the brutality occurring in Gaza, it is important to continue interrogating: What kind of world do we live in where menstruating safely is seen as a privilege and a distant dream? These are the dreams of the Palestinian people.
“These are the dreams of Palestinian people.”
(@byplestia via Instagram)
Sources:
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.
“Another Layer of Misery: Women in Gaza Struggle to Find Menstrual Pads, Running Water.” NPR, 11 Jan. 2024, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2024/01/11/1224201620/another-layer-of-misery-women-in-gaza-struggle-to-find-menstrual-pads-running-wa.
“Crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” Www.unfpa.org, www.unfpa.org/occupied-palestinian-territory#:~:text=Over%20690%2C000%20menstruating%20women%20and.
“Gaza Humanitarian Crisis: Aid Running Out, Mass Displacement.” British Red Cross, www.redcross.org.uk/stories/disasters-and-emergencies/world/whats-happening-in-gaza-humanitarian-crisis-grows.
Gaza, Sally Ibrahim ــ. “Lack of Hygiene Products Threatens Gaza Women with Disease.” Https://Www.newarab.com/, 27 Dec. 2023, www.newarab.com/news/lack-hygiene-products-threatens-gaza-women-disease.
Plestia Alaqad [@byplestia], Photograph, Instagram, 27 Jan. 2024.
“Menstrual Health Management Strategy: Gaza Strip (November 2023) - Occupied Palestinian Territory | ReliefWeb.” Reliefweb.int, 29 Nov. 2023, reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/menstrual-health-management-strategy-gaza-strip-november-2023.
“War on Gaza: Women Cut up Tents for Period Products.” Middle East Eye, www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-women-cut-tents-period-products-and-endure-c-sections-without-anaesthesia.