It was his last day of school in Chalatenango in northern El Salvador. Xochitl, a 17-year-old high school student, was looking for something in one of her classmates’ backpacks and found a compress. “Why did you have it?” asked the girl. His friend’s response surprised Xochitl because in this rural area, where menstruation has traditionally been a taboo subject, boys only talked about their periods to poke fun at them. “In case any of you need it,” he told her.
Her partner had started carrying pads in his backpack after being part of The Power of Red Butterflies, a program that educates children about the menstrual process, including sexual health issues and consent. In Salvadoran society, women are often seen as procreators and mothers, and menstruation has traditionally been understood as a reality that only affects the female sex, as something dirty and even as a disease that women and girls should be ashamed of. . In this small Central American nation where machismo is rampant, the rule is still riddled with myths, misstatements, and taboos that make it difficult and difficult for girls to speak freely about the topic, whether at home or at school.
Menstruation has traditionally been understood as a reality that only affects the female sex, as something dirty and even as a disease that women and girls should be ashamed of.
“My grandmother once told me that it is a sin to go to church when you are menstruating (…) It is a subject that women, men, boys and girls need to know about. The more information we get, the better we can help each other avoid harassment and problems,” says Xochitl. Since the program was launched in 2019 by the organization Plan International, 325 young people and 75 families from 17 different communities have completed this three-month course. The word “butterfly” has become a symbol of strength and freedom, and the color red a symbol of the menstrual cycle.
knowledge is power
According to Yamila Ábrego, Plan International’s national health advisor, the main goal of the project is to help girls and young people experience their periods as something positive and healthy, without suffering harassment or violence. “Sure, without fear,” he summarizes. In addition to explaining how the menstrual cycle works, the program aims to help girls “build their lives.” “If they are informed in good time, they can decide when they will have a baby or not,” Abrego gives as an example.
Red Butterflies training for young women in Chalatenango Department, El Salvador.Víctor Peña (Víctor Peña )
Between 2015 and 2020, there were nearly 106,000 teenage pregnancies in El Salvador, according to the United Nations Population Fund. Of these, 5,104 pregnancies were registered in girls between the ages of 10 and 14, an age group considered a crime of sexual violence under Salvadorian law. “Sometimes we don’t realize that we have our sexual and reproductive rights, that we shouldn’t be mothers or fathers through violence or negligence,” says Xochitl.
Ábrego admits that understanding that pregnancy in a girl is not something normal but a crime requires a cultural shift in a country where the justice system is not normally used out of fear or ignorance against the aggressors of women and Girls miss the time to report these crimes or these cases often go uninvestigated. For this reason, the “Power of the Red Butterflys” also includes boys in their training.
“If we say no, it’s no. That we can decide for ourselves, for our body or for our own mental and emotional state,” affirms Xochitl.
In addition, El Salvador is one of the most restrictive countries in the world when it comes to abortion rights, since 1998 women who voluntarily or involuntarily terminate their pregnancy can face up to 50 years in prison and permanent ostracism.
Group of young people from the Red Butterflies Project play educational games on menstrual health in Chalatenango, El Salvador.Víctor Peña (Víctor Peña)
At the Chalatenango community center, located on one of the main roads connecting El Salvador with Honduras, 11 girls between the ages of 17 and 20 meet to share their doubts and needs related to menstruation. The meeting talks about tampons, menstrual cups and also about sexual and reproductive rights. One of the topics of the day is that women don’t have to hide or feel ashamed every time they have their period. “I spent a year hiding it,” said Neisily, one of those present, and says she was afraid to tell her family when she first got her period. She’s not the only one who has gone through similar situations. “My sister cried when she first got her period,” Xochitl admits.
For most, these encounters are the first opportunity to get to know, talk about, and respect their bodies. “Not knowing anything about ourselves doesn’t give us power, it keeps us in the dark. By getting to know each other, we can make our own decisions,” says Damaris, 20. Her mother, Rosa, listens proudly to her daughter. “What they have learned makes them feel complete. They know how to handle situations and can share that information with other girls,” she explains.
My sister cried when she got her period for the first time.
Xochitl, high school student
Xochitl and her companions are already projecting themselves into a future where they want the last word: Dora and Esmeralda want to be psychologists; Hazel, Melanie and Damaris, doctors; Karla dreams of becoming a math teacher; Rosemarie aspires to be a criminologist; Heidy wants to study forensic medicine and Xochitl wants to start an apprenticeship as an electrician, a profession traditionally associated with men. “This group gives me a lot of security. We believe that knowledge is power,” concludes Damaris.
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