Latest news with #menstruation
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Yahoo
Two arrested after school girls in India allegedly made to strip for period check
A school principal and an attendant have been arrested in India after allegations that female students were stripped naked to check if they were menstruating after blood stains were found on a toilet wall. The police action came after the mother of one of the "10 to 15 girls" who were put through the alleged humiliation lodged a complaint. The incident took place on Tuesday in a village not far from Mumbai city. On Wednesday, parents protested at the school, demanding strict punishment against the authorities. In a video, the school principal is seen arguing with angry parents - she denies that she ordered a strip-search or that it took place. Senior police official Milind Shinde told the BBC on Thursday that they were investigating the allegations. The arrested women would be produced in court later in the day, he said. The police complaint names four other teachers and two trustees of the all-girls school in Thane in the western state of Maharashtra. BBC has reached out to the school authorities for a response. In their complaint, police have invoked sections of the law that deal with assault and intent to outrage modesty of women. They have also added sections from the stringent Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. The parents have alleged that all the students from 5th to 10th classes - who would be between the ages of 10 and 16 - were summoned to a hall by the school principal on Tuesday. There, they were shown photos from the toilet on a projector, including that of a hand stain, and those who had their periods were asked to raise their hands. A teacher collected hand prints of all those who did. At least 10 to 15 girls who said they weren't menstruating were then taken to the toilet, forced to strip and went through an inspection. The child whose mother lodged the police complaint has alleged that her daughter, who didn't have her period, was scolded and asked why she wasn't wearing a sanitary pad. Her hand print was also collected. She said her daughter "felt very ashamed" because of what had happened. Some of the parents told the BBC that their daughters were traumatised. "The incident raises serious questions about the safety of our children. Our girls are very afraid. The government should take strict action against the school," one parent said. The mother of one of the students told BBC Marathi that when confronted, the principal denied everything. "But the school didn't have an answer when we asked them whether so many girls could be lying," she said. Banished for bleeding: Tribal women get better period huts Why are Indian women 'Happy to Bleed'? Why are menstruating women removing their wombs? Periods have long been a taboo in India where menstruating girls and women are considered impure and excluded from social and religious events. And incidents of shaming female students have been reported in the past too. In 2017, 70 students were stripped naked at a residential school in Uttar Pradesh by the female warden after she found blood on a bathroom door. In 2020, 68 students living in a college hostel in Gujarat were strip-searched after they stopped reporting their periods to authorities to avoid restrictions which barred them from entering the temple and the kitchen or touching other students. At meal times, they had to sit away from others, and in the classroom, they were expected to sit on the last bench. The regressive ideas are being increasingly challenged by urban educated women, but success has been patchy and women in many parts of the country continue to face discrimination.
The Independent
10-07-2025
- The Independent
Principal arrested after girls stripped for ‘period check' in India school
Police in India arrested the principal and an attendant of a school for allegedly stripping around 10 girl students to check if they were menstruating after blood stains were found inside a toilet. The incident took place in Thane in western India's Maharashtra state when blood stains were spotted in a washroom by the school's staff members on Tuesday. The Thane Rural Police issued a statement confirming that they have taken action against the school authorities after parents of the aggrieved minors staged a protest. The information to the school principal about the stains in the washroom led to the faculty summoning the girls from grade 5 to grade 10 at the convention hall. The students were then shown photos of the blood stains in the toilet and on the tiles, police said. School teachers then asked the students to disclose their period cycles and confirm who was on their periods. The teachers noted down the details of the girls and teenagers who raised their hands and took them to the washroom where they were stripped and checked by the attendants, police said, according to The Indian Express. The principal and the attendant arrested are both women. The students reportedly went home in tears and informed their parents about the disturbing probe by the school authorities. Several parents on Wednesday went to the school and protested against the act. The parents also demanded strict action against the management and teachers. One of the students complained she was asked by the principal about why she was using a sanitary pad when she was not on her periods. The principal then accused the student of lying and forced her to submit a thumb impression, according to the Thane Rural Police. A parent said that the action by the school teachers 'amounts to mental harassment to the girls'. The police have also arrested four teachers and two trustees for the incident and the arrested will be produced before the court on Thursday. All have been booked under relevant sections of the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The investigation is underway and the police officials said they are collecting more evidence from the students. The school principal denied that she ordered a strip-search or that it took place, according to the BBC.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- BBC News
Thane, Maharashtra: Two arrested after school girls allegedly made to strip for period check
A school principal and an attendant have been arrested in India after allegations that female students were stripped naked to check if they were menstruating after blood stains were found on a toilet police action came after the mother of one of the "10 to 15 girls" who were put through the alleged humiliation lodged a incident took place on Tuesday in a village not far from Mumbai city. On Wednesday, parents protested at the school, demanding strict punishment against the a video, the school principal is seen arguing with angry parents - she denies that she ordered a strip-search or that it took place. Senior police official Milind Shinde told the BBC on Thursday that they were investigating the allegations. The arrested women would be produced in court later in the day, he police complaint names four other teachers and two trustees of the all-girls school in Thane in the western state of Maharashtra. BBC has reached out to the school authorities for a their complaint, police have invoked sections of the law that deal with assault and intent to outrage modesty of women. They have also added sections from the stringent Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) parents have alleged that all the students from 5th to 10th classes - who would be between the ages of 10 and 16 - were summoned to a hall by the school principal on they were shown photos from the toilet on a projector, including that of a hand stain, and those who had their periods were asked to raise their hands. A teacher collected hand prints of all those who least 10 to 15 girls who said they weren't menstruating were then taken to the toilet, forced to strip and went through an child whose mother lodged the police complaint has alleged that her daughter, who didn't have her period, was scolded and asked why she wasn't wearing a sanitary pad. Her hand print was also said her daughter "felt very ashamed" because of what had happened. Some of the parents told the BBC that their daughters were traumatised. "The incident raises serious questions about the safety of our children. Our girls are very afraid. The government should take strict action against the school," one parent mother of one of the students told BBC Marathi that when confronted, the principal denied everything. "But the school didn't have an answer when we asked them whether so many girls could be lying," she for bleeding: Tribal women get better period hutsWhy are Indian women 'Happy to Bleed'?Why are menstruating women removing their wombs?Periods have long been a taboo in India where menstruating girls and women are considered impure and excluded from social and religious incidents of shaming female students have been reported in the past 2017, 70 students were stripped naked at a residential school in Uttar Pradesh by the female warden after she found blood on a bathroom 2020, 68 students living in a college hostel in Gujarat were strip-searched after they stopped reporting their periods to authorities to avoid restrictions which barred them from entering the temple and the kitchen or touching other meal times, they had to sit away from others, and in the classroom, they were expected to sit on the last regressive ideas are being increasingly challenged by urban educated women, but success has been patchy and women in many parts of the country continue to face discrimination.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Brooks Nader's Wimbledon Whites Were a Serve — Until a Period Plot Twist Stole the Show
It's tradition to wear white to Wimbledon, but the color of the outfit doesn't always take into consideration someone's menstrual period. Just ask Brooks Nader. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model had a very relatable moment in her chic outfit for the storied tennis tournament. She looked fabulous in a black-and-white, polka-dot shirt and a long, white denim skirt with a zippered front. Everything looked perfect until she twirled around in her July 4 TikTok video. More from SheKnows Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's Timeless Style Is Inspiring a 'Quiet Luxury' Revival 'Tries to be chic,' the 28-year-old influencer wrote on the clip. 'Starts 🩸 at Wimbledon.' As she turned around, the period stain was evident — and it's probably happened to everyone who menstruates at some point in their lives. Nader's Wimbledon moment was completely relatable. The comments under the former Dancing With the Stars contestant's video applauded her honesty. 'You're so real for this,' wrote one fan. Another added, '🩸 happens. Thank you for NORMALIZING it,' added another follower. And of course, there's also one supporter to remind Nader that she's 'ICONIC.' Nader isn't the only celebrity out there trying to end period stigma. Katy Perry accepted her Video Vanguard Award at the September 2024 MTV Video Music Awards with a classic opening statement. 'Oh my gosh. I did that all on my first day of my period, too,' she said at the podium after performing a medley of her greatest hits. 'Can you believe it?' Yes, Katy, we do believe it! Another Kate, Kate Winslet, was an early adopter in talking about her period. She described to Rolling Stone in 1998 what it was like to work on Titanic with Leonardo DiCaprio while on her monthly cycle. 'I'm not saying it was all happy-clappy. There were days when you'd just think, 'Oh, my God, I've got my period and I can't get in that freezing-cold water today,'' she revealed. 'I remember standing up and saying to everyone, 'Listen, if it suddenly looks like Jaws, the movie, it's my fault.'' So, let's keep the conversation flowing — having a period is normal, even if it does come at inopportune times once in a of SheKnows Amber Heard's Entire Dating History: Johnny Depp, Elon Musk, & More 11 of Prince William & Kate Middleton's Biggest Relationship Controversies 13 Celebrities Who Secretly Welcomed Children During Affairs
News.com.au
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Model praised for ‘normalising' secret-shame all women experience
A popular swimsuit model has been praised for 'normalising' a wardrobe mishap that almost every woman has suffered while attending Wimbledon. Brooks Nader was recently at the annual tennis tournament in London when she unknowingly came on her period. As a result, the 28-year-old was left with a patch of blood on her long white skirt, an experience anyone who menstruates will be all too familiar with. Studies show that persistent stigma surrounding periods has long left women feeling that menstruation is unclean and embarrassing, and can lead to feelings of shame and discomfort. But Nader proved she is determined to break the cycle of negativity surrounding the perfectly normal bodily function, and took to social media to poke fun at her relatable period mishap. 'Tries to be chic,' Nader wrote on a video she shared Friday. 'Starts [blood drop emoji] at Wimbledon.' In the clip, the model could be seen wearing a cap-sleeve black blouse with her skirt as she spun around to reveal the blood stain. 'Of course #Wimbledon,' she added in her caption. Her relatable moment was applauded by many of her 216,000 followers, who praised the star for 'normalising' the incident. 'You're so real for this,' wrote one commenter, while another shared: 'Happens to us all.' 'Thank you for normalising what we go through,' a third added. 'OK even beautiful women go through this,' another said. As one praised: 'I love that you shared this! This is real life for women!' Stigma and shame surrounding periods can be dated back thousands of years (the Bible literally refers to menstruating women as 'unclean) and have continued to modern day through sociocultural norms. These feelings of stigma and shame have created a long-running expectation on women to hide their periods. Still, researchers in 2021 found this secrecy can cause other issues, such as preventing people from identifying when their periods are unusual and subsequently seeking necessary healthcare, The Conversation reports. It's for these reasons that Nader's video has struck such a chord, as it is viewed as helping to break down the stigma that is deeply entrenched in society. 'Serving looks, realness and breaking taboos,' one follower wrote on TikTok. 'This is the most relatable thing ever,' another agreed. As one concluded: 'Absolutely nothing to be embarrassed of ever, it happens. Thanks for showing it.' Nader shot to fame after winning the 2019 Swim Search held by Sports Illustrated, and was featured in the swimsuit edition of the magazine in 2020, 2021, and 2022. In 2023, Nader became a cover girl for the magazine.
