I Bring Home My Used Menstrual Pad: Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Menstrual Hygiene Management in Middle Schools with Limited Sanitation Access
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57096/edunity.v3i11.330Keywords:
Menstrual Hygiene Management, Water Sanitation Hygiene, Photovoice, Schools with limited sanitation accessAbstract
Menstruation is a critical aspect of puberty for adolescent girls, and effective Menstrual
Hygiene Management (MHM) is vital for their health and well-being. In many schools
in Indonesia, however, limited access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)
facilities creates significant barriers to proper MHM. This study aims to explore the
challenges faced by adolescent girls in managing menstrual hygiene in schools with
inadequate sanitation. A Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach was employed
using the photovoice method, allowing 20 female students from SMPN 3 Selemadeg
Timur, a school in Bali, to document their experiences with MHM. Data were collected
through interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and thematic analysis of the
photographs. The findings revealed that inadequate toilets, lack of privacy, poor water
supply, and ineffective waste management systems significantly hindered students'
ability to manage menstrual hygiene at school. As a result, many students adopted the
practice of taking home used menstrual pads due to the absence of proper disposal
facilities. Cultural taboos and fear of bullying further complicated the issue, preventing
students from reporting sanitation problems. Barriers to improving these conditions
included limited funds, low awareness of cleanliness, and low prioritization of
sanitation within the school. These factors led students to normalize taking used pads
home or leaving school to change pads as an adaptation to the unsatisfactory sanitation
conditions. The study highlights the need for improved sanitation infrastructure, better
waste management, and a more supportive school environment for managing
menstrual hygiene.
References
Ajzen, I. (2020). The theory of planned behavior: Frequently asked questions. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2(4), 314–324. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.195
Bhakta, A. N. (2020). Uncovering WASH Realities Through PhotoVoice. In SLH Learning Paper 9 (Issue 9). Sanitation Learning Hub, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.
Davis, J., Macintyre, A., Odagiri, M., Suriastini, W., Cordova, A., Huggett, C., Agius, P. A., Faiqoh, F., Budiyani, A. E., Quillet, C., Cronin, A. A., Diah, N. M., Triwahyunto, A., Luchters, S., & Kennedy, E. (2018). Menstrual hygiene management and school absenteeism among adolescent students in Indonesia: evidence from a cross-sectional school-based survey. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 23(12), 1350–1363. https://doi.org/10.1111/tmi.13159
Dewi, R. K., Pramana, R. P., Purbaningrum, W., & Devin, S. (2022). Manajemen Kebersihan Menstruasi: Tanggung Jawab Siapa? In Kesetaraan Gender, Disabilitas dan Inklusi Sosial dalam Praktik: Pengalaman Riset dan Advokasi Mitra Knowledge Sector Initiative (pp. 1–180). Kementerian PPN/Bappennas. https://aip-prisma.or.id/id/gs-inclusion
Hastuti, Dewi, R. K., & Pramana, R. P. (2018). Studi Kasus Manajemen Kebersihan Menstruasi (MKM) Siswa SD dan SMP di Indonesia.
Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia. (2022, December 31). Indeks Sanitasi Sekolah Tahun 2022 Ganjil - Provinsi Bali. Dashboard Sanitasi Nasional. https://sarpras.dikdasmen.kemdikbud.go.id/dev//index.php/chome/provinsi?kode_wilayah=220000
Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan RI. (2017). Panduan Manajemen Kebersihan Menstruasi Bagi Guru dan Orang Tua. In Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan RI. Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan RI.
Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan RI. (2022). Indeks Sanitasi Sekolah Nasional Periode 2022 Ganjil. Dashboard Sanitasi Nasional. https://sarpras.dikdasmen.kemdikbud.go.id/index.php/chome/
Kementerian PPPA. (2015). Panduan Sekolah Ramah Anak. In Kementerian Peberdayaan Perempuan Dan Perlindungan Anak. Kementerian Peberdayaan Perempuan Dan Perlindungan Anak.
Kennedy, E., Suriastini, W., Macintyre, A., Huggett, C., Wheen, R., Faiqoh, Rahma, A., & Inathsan, B. (2015). Menstrual Hygiene Management in Indonesia. In Burnet Institute.
MacArthur, J., Carrard, N., Koh, S., & Willetts, J. (2022). Fostering the transformative potential of participatory photography: Insights from water and sanitation assessments. PLOS Water, 1(8), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000036
Octarra, H. S., Iustitiani, N. S. D., & Ajisuksmo, C. (2022). Analisis Situasi Partisipasi Anak dan Remaja serta Keterlibatan di Masyarakat Indonesia. In Unicef (Issue June). https://www.unicef.org/indonesia/media/14731/file/Analisis Situasi Partisipasi Anak dan Remaja serta Keterlibatan di Masyarakat Indonesia.pdf
Ocviyanti, D., Fidiansjah, Rofiqoh, H., Umniyati, H., Husna, L. N., Thahir, M., Widayati, R., Mujib, S. M., Sajaroh, W. S., Wulanthari, & Nihayah, Z. (2020). Manajemen Kebersihan Menstruasi dan Pencegahan Perkawinan Anak. In Muslimat NU - UNICEF. Pimpinan Pusat Muslimat NU bekerjasama dengan UNICEF-Indonesia. https://www.pma2020.org/sites/default/files/IDR2-MHM brief-v1-Bahasa Indonesian-2017-05-03.pdf
Royo, G. M., Parrott, E., Pacheco, E. M., Ahmed, I., Meilianda, E., Kumala, I., Oktari, R. S., Joffe, H., & Parikh, P. (2022). A Structured Review of Emotional Barriers to WASH Provision for Schoolgirls Post-Disaster. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042471
Safitri, N., Marini, A., & Nafiah, M. (2020). Manajemen Lingkungan Berbasis Sekolah Dalam Penanaman Karakter Dan Kesadaran Lingkungan Hidup Berkelanjutan di Sekolah Dasar. JPD: Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar, 1(1), 1–9.
Sharmin Sultana, Mst., Hassan Razon, A., Tanvir Sarwar, M., & Ahmad, T. (2021). Assessment of the Prevalence of Menstrual Complications with Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Menstruation of Rural Girls in Jashore, Bangladesh. Science Journal of Public Health, 9(5), 162. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20210905.14
Sutton-Brown, C. A. (2014). Photovoice: A Methodological Guide. Photography and Culture, 7(2), 169–185. https://doi.org/10.2752/175145214X13999922103165
Thomson, J., Amery, F., Channon, M., & Puri, M. (2019). What’s missing in MHM? Moving beyond hygiene in menstrual hygiene management. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, 27(1), 12–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2019.1684231
United Nation. (2022). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022. United Nation.
Wardana, K. A. (2020). Human Rights Framework on Menstrual Health and Hygiene. Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, 140, 140–146.
Weybright, E., White, A., Greer, M., Fees, J., & Watters, C. (2023). Youth Engagement Resource Guide. Washington State University Extension. https://doi.org/10.7273/000005214
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Ni Putu Gita Saraswati Palgunadi, I Gede Astra Wesnawa, I Ketut Sudiana
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under aCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC-BY-SA). that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
