“Some use baby diapers”

Queen Choueiri counted. For her period this month, she has 13 sanitary napkins left from an already opened package plus two boxes that have not yet been opened. “I’m very careful about how much I use. I don’t put any more everywhere in my bags or clothes just in case, because I don’t want to forget or ruin them.”, says the 24-year-old Lebanese.

Standing in front of the periodical protection shelf of a supermarket in the Achrafieh district of Beirut, Reine compares the prices with annoyance. “Before the crisis, a packet of classic towels cost 3,000 Lebanese pounds (around 2 euros), today the same costs ten times as much”, she explains, pointing to the label of a brightly colored package.

The price of sanitary napkins has increased by 320% in one year, according to a study by the Lebanese NGO Fe-Male, cited by the online media Daraj (in English). At the start of the crisis, the state subsidized 300 imported basic products, without including these towels. According to the government, some of their raw materials could be produced in Lebanon, unlike men’s razors. “Another decision taken by men, who do not understand how essential this question is for all women”, sweeps Reine, annoyed.

In her huge apartment located in a glass tower in the plush Sioufi Heights district, east of the capital, Line Tabet welcomes its visitors with water, cookies and lots of energy. The co-founder of the NGO Dawrati (“Menstrual cycle” in Lebanese Arabic) made an appointment at a specific time, between two power cuts which paralyze the elevator and force the guests to climb 16 floors on foot. Voluble, she tells the genesis of her commitment against menstrual precariousness. “I clicked when I saw that no periodic protection was distributed in the aid packages, when many women needed it”, she portrays in a mixture of English and French.

“Menstrual insecurity exists when women don’t have access to the products they need, no place to change, no access to information on their cycle, no space to talk about it safely. “

Line Tabet, co-founder of the NGO Dawrati

to franceinfo

According to the study by Fe-Male, because of the crisis, 76% of the girls and women questioned have difficulty accessing periodic protection and 42% have changed their use of towels. “There are girls who skip school because they don’t have towels, some who use leftover baby diapers or old clothes. They layer their panties on top of each other to prevent leaks.”, illustrates Line Tabet.

On the shelves of supermarkets, new brands of low-end towels have appeared, intended for this impoverished clientele. But the material does not absorb blood well and leaks are common. Above all, their effect on the body of women is disastrous. “They cause odors, itching, allergies”, denounces Liliane Jalbout, gynecologist in Beirut, who sees more and more affected patients.

In addition to these physical effects, the precariousness caused by the crisis is felt on women’s health. Many of them, for example, see their cycle out of order. “They have heavier periods or on the contrary amenorrhea [absence de menstruations]. Sometimes the period comes very late and they worry about being pregnant because they don’t have the money to raise a baby “, describes the caregiver.

“Periods have become a subject of stress and anxiety for women. It has a direct impact on their mental health.”

Liliane Jalbout, gynecologist

to franceinfo

Faced with this observation, Line Tabet launched in May 2020 a call for donations on social networks. Very quickly, she received lots of packages. “My living room was full of boxes! They were everywhere. The first month, we distributed 1,050 packages” periodic protection, she explains.

“Now I have bank workers contacting me. Their salary has gone from $ 2,000 to $ 150 and they have to choose between paying for electricity or buying towels.”

Line divides the donations into several kits: an elementary kit, for one month, with towels, panty liners and intimate gel, a kit for pregnant women with thicker towels, and a kit for teenage girls who will soon have their first period. “In this one, we will soon add a small booklet made by a gynecologist to understand his cycle and a nail polish”, in order to make the package more “girly” and the subject more attractive, according to the Lebanese.

Because in Lebanon, as in many countries, the rules are taboo. “You can’t imagine the number of metaphors we use to designate them: Pink Aunt has come, Bloody Mary, my poppies…” Line enumerates by scrolling on her phone the flowery expressions sent by Internet users on Dawrati’s Instagram account. “Women always say ‘ana sakhne’, which means ‘I’m sick’, to imply that they are having their period.”

“We don’t talk about the rules, especially in the presence of a man. Some fathers refuse to go and get towels for their daughters. In convenience stores, we can give you a black bag to hide them when you buy them.”

In connection with this same taboo, tampons are used very little. “There is a whole myth according to which they would make lose the virginity of the women”, props up Line, who keeps a stock of 1000 tampons at home, but she finds no takers. In order not to inconvenience any beneficiaries, Line distributes its kits in neutral white paper bags. “I take into account the culture. My goal is not to shock, I do not take pictures of panties with blood for example. The emergency is first of all economic and health”, she states.

When asked about the pollution represented by these tons of towels thrown away each year, she defends herself: “After everything they’ve been through, the Lebanese don’t have the strength to add a load. We don’t live in Denmark, where we can test the cup one day and then the period panties the next day. we don’t have that luxury or that time. “

In the north of the country, in the governorate of Akkar, Latifa did not wait for the crisis to worry about women’s health. In this very poor region, bordering Syria to the north and bordered to the west by the Mediterranean, refugee camps have spread over the wars. Women from Syria or Palestine are the first to be affected by menstrual insecurity. For seven years, Latifa has been working alongside them within the NGO Days for Girls.

In his sewing workshop, the message “Menstrual hygiene is a human right” is displayed and Latifa teaches women how to make reusable sanitary cloth protectors. That day, she is accompanied by Firial and Mil Vat, two experienced seamstresses. Sitting behind a Singer sewing machine, Mil Vat works to assemble layers of fabric in rhythm. For her, this work is a source of emancipation. “I’m the only one bringing money back to my family, so it gives me power”, rejoices the Syrian seamstress.

The towels are then sold to NGOs for $ 20 for 8, and the funds collected are donated to the seamstresses. “At first, many were disgusted with their blood and did not want to wash their panties with their other clothes.”, remembers Latifa. “But we listened to their feedback and adapted. Since we started, there have been at least 13 versions of napkins.” The latest models come with a wash bag and soap. White cotton has been replaced by colorful fabrics made in Jordan or Syria. “The women were embarrassed when they spread their white towels outside and there were stains,” explains Latifa.

With the crisis, demands are pouring in. Since the start of the year, 5,000 kits have already been sold. The next step of the organization is to strengthen information workshops on the menstrual cycle with adolescent girls who “have a life of rules ahead of her”, slips Latifa. It sums up: “Bleeding shouldn’t be a privilege anymore.”