Period. End of Sentence team responds to child rights violation allegations: Worked with full permission, informed consent

Oscar-winning documentary short Period. End of Sentence has been in troubled waters ever since a Karantaka-based NGO accused the makers of violating children’s rights and misrepresented facts. In light of the controversy, the women’s welfare organisation Action India has issued a statement shedding light on the issue.

Sinu Joseph, the founder of the Karnataka-based NGO Mythri Speaks, had written in a HuffPost article that the short violates UNICEF’s guidelines for journalists reporting on children and even those enlisted by the National Commission For Protection Of Child Rights. She also demanded to know which researchers the filmmakers consulted during the making of Period. End of Sentence.

As per the statement, the team of Period. End of Sentence worked closely with Action India with “full permission and informed consent of its subjects”. It partnered with Girls Learn International (GLI) as well as high school students at the Oakwood School in Los Angeles, who served as delegates United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW).

The UNCSW provided information from UNICEF stating, among other facts, that many girls do not have complete and accurate understanding of menstruation as a normal biological process.

Joseph, in her article, had opined that the reluctance to talk about menstruation among young women and girls has been depicted in the short film as shame.

The statement explained how it is important to educate young boys and girls on menstruation. “Educating girls before their first period — and, importantly, boys —on menstruation, builds their confidence, contributes to social solidarity and encourages healthy habits. Such information should be provided at home and at school.”

The same statement presents the data collected from UNICEF that states that poor menstrual hygiene can pose physical health risks and has been linked to reproductive and urinary tract infections. As Joseph brought to question if sanitary pads are at all a solution to any menstrual disorder, the statement said that providing access to private facilities with water and safer low-cost menstrual materials could reduce urogenital diseases.