Mumbai: Procter & Gamble’s feminine-care brand Whisper, has released a film titled ‘The Missing Chapter’ as its #KeepGirlsInSchool (KGIS) movement’s fourth edition.
As per reports, one out of five girls drop out of school every year in India due to lack of period education while seven out of ten mothers don’t know the biology of periods and consider it ‘dirty or impure’. Since mothers are the first teachers of their children, it is crucial that they properly educate their young daughters about the natural menstruation cycle and the use of appropriate products.
Most mothers in India are unaware of the biological workings of their bodies during menstruation, leaving 71 per cent of Indian girls unaware of their periods when they first get them. As a result, young girls have little understanding of how to manage their periods and prefer to stay at home on period days every month.
The new Leo Burnett conceptualised film begins with the attendance roll call being done in a classroom and the protagonist, Purvi, being absent yet another day. Her friends decide to take matters into their own hands to educate Purvi’s mother so that their friend doesn't miss another day of school because of her periods. They collect an assortment of objects — a bicycle seat, plastic bottle, pipes, marbles, and watermelons — to create a science project to explain the workings of the female reproductive system to Purvi’s mother. When they reach Purvi’s house with their model, the mother thinks they’ve come to see Purvi. She tells them she is ‘unwell’, another common way periods are referred to, but it’s the mother that the friends want to meet. They set up their project and demonstrate for her the biological process of periods which happens each month and more importantly by using the right sanitary product, that is, a pad can help them do everything on their period days, even attend school.
“For a natural process like periods, it is very important that parents educate their young daughters correctly. In most parts of India, we’ve seen that mothers themselves are unaware about the biology of periods and the ways to manage it. As a result, menstrual hygiene is compromised. This leads to girls staying at home during their period days every month and they slowly start falling behind eventually dropping out of school altogether. Our film ‘The Missing chapter’ aims to address this and spread awareness among mothers so that the next generation of women is empowered and educated to manage their periods and keep girls in school,” said Procter & Gamble India vice president and category leader, feminine care Girish Kalyanaraman.
Sharing her support for the movement, actor Mrunal Thakur said, “Menstrual education is so important to teach girls about their periods, their body and how to manage it. It is also about breaking the taboo and stigma surrounding menstruation, empowering girls with knowledge and choices, and ensuring their right to health, dignity, and education. Whisper is doing an incredible job with its #KeepGirlsInSchool campaign, and I am proud to be associated with this cause. It’s time to have open conversations about periods and create a world where menstruation is not a barrier to girls’ education and well-being. By keeping girls in school, we are not only investing in their individual growth and success but also in the progress and prosperity of our society.”
Speaking about the campaign, Leo Burnett - South Asia CEO and chief creative officer Rajdeepak Das said, “A mother is the first teacher of a child, the one who imparts life’s most important lessons. Thus she could be a powerful ally in our journey with Whisper to keep girls in school. But in India, mothers themselves lack the education to teach their daughters about periods. Our focus this year is to educate mothers, create a chain of positive information, and break the cycle of ignorance.”
The KGIS campaign has been breaking myths about periods being ‘dirty’ or an ‘illness’ by educating Indian girls about the science of the female reproductive system and how the usage of sanitary products can help them go to school. It has so far helped keep over ten crore girls in school by providing free pads and period education to girls through the year.
