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Italiano
Period. End of Sentence, also available on Netflix Italy, tells the emancipatory struggle of some Indian women, a battle with sanitary pads, one of the biggest taboos in the country.
Period. End of Sentence
The documentary short follows a group of women in Hapur, India, as they learn how to use a machine that produces low-cost biodegradable sanitary napkins, which they sell to other women who can’t afford them. This not only helps improve feminine hygiene by providing access to basic products, but supports and empowers women to eliminate a menstruation taboo in India while contributing to the economic future of their community.
A necessary invention
The documentary is truly enjoyable and, although the subject matter is still very delicate and intimate, it does not aim at compassion, but at showing us a real, heavy but solvable problem. In some rural areas of India, in fact, only 10% of women use sanitary pads, most of the time using cloths that could generate serious illnesses and infections, especially due to the very delicate area in which it is applied.
The big step forward is due to Arunachalam Muruganatham, the Indian businessman who, upset by his wife’s hygienic conditions, produced a machine capable of producing very low-cost sanitary pads. Thanks to him, the use of this product is growing, increasing the percentage of its users to over 50%.
Organized women
The part relating to the organization for production is also very sweet and interesting. The factory is in fact completely managed by some enterprising women who have also been able to involve husbands and parents in the company, many of whom initially perplexed by the idea, who quickly became a support to the battle.
The impact that menstruation has from a social point of view is also very interesting. In Hinduism, as in Islam, women are not considered “pure” when they have menstruation and this corresponds to a social exclusion, as developed as the poorer the village. During this time, for example, they cannot pray, and going to school with this type of loss can often be so embarrassing that they give up education. Even more, then, that of the sanitary napkin proves to be a crucial battle for the future of Indian women, a future for which there is hope. A highly recommended documentary, especially for men, a sexual revolution that needs to end as soon as possible in glory.
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