015|STAND+(5)

On May 28th at noon, "STAND+" officially launched on the L video website. 

The series consists of five episodes, with three main episodes and two special episodes. The first episode is titled "Girls' Sanitary Pads and Toilets."

As dawn broke, Huizi and Zhaodi had already been up for a while. 

With clean sanitary products and a heating pad, Huizi felt much more comfortable, but this could not mask the concerning sanitary conditions of their home. The sanitation issues here primarily refer to the hygienic environment and usage of the household bathroom.

Two years ago, by relevant policies and funding, the village constructed public toilets and provided free toilet installations for low-income households. However, the issue of rural toilet reform remains unresolved, and the reason is simple: the construction team followed an inhumane "standard blueprint" to dig pits, fill septic tanks, and add a roof. There is even a shortage of water for daily use, let alone a complete sewage system. So, who is responsible for the waste in the septic tanks? The villagers? Or the relevant departments that do not provide after-sales support? Who will bear the environmental pollution caused by untreated waste?

The public toilet in Huizi's village encapsulates the overall conditions of rural toilets in underdeveloped areas—cramped spaces with a generally foul and damp environment. The toilet installed in Huizi's home has been completely abandoned due to issues with the village's drainage system and water fees, leaving the entire family to rely on a makeshift outdoor toilet. 

The sisters efficiently finish their chores, prepare meals for the elderly, and pack their own lunches along with their worn-out backpacks before heading to school. Huizi watches Zhaodi enter the school gate before continuing to the bus station. 

"Do you always watch your sister enter the school?" the accompanying reporter, Yu Cheng, inquires. 

"Not really, Zhaozhao every time comes..." Huizi lowers her gaze, takes several breaths, and finally manages to utter the word "period." 

"When she has her period, she's usually reluctant to go to school." 

In contrast to Zhaodi, Huizi has gained some knowledge about menstruation through her admission to the county high school. However, even when she attempts to share her limited understanding with Zhaodi, it does little to alleviate Zhaodi's feelings of inferiority and confusion stemming from being a girl and experiencing menstruation. 

The journey of mental growth is unpredictable, and no one can estimate how long it will take to heal the shadows that linger. 

Observing this, Yu Cheng asks, "Has Zhaozhao ever skipped school during her period?" 

Huizi nods, "Zhaozhao has menstrual cramps, and sometimes she goes to Aunt Jiusi's shop in town." 

Aunt Jiusi has a slight acquaintance with Huizi's father and has one son with her husband. She has always cherished her daughter, but after giving birth to a son as her first child, she chose not to have more. Born in this region, Aunt Jiusi understands all too well the hardships a daughter must endure in a "son-preferential" environment to grow up. Although she has not received much formal education, she cannot bear the thought of her daughter facing such cruel hardships in this world.

"Every time Zhaozhao comes here, she loves to stare at that shelf," Aunt Jiusi pointed to the shelf displaying sanitary pads. "Once, I told her, 'Aunt will give you a pack,' and she shook her head, saying, 'Aunt, that's too expensive. I'll buy it when I earn money later.'"

"The girl's menstrual cramps are quite severe, and her cycle is irregular. I haven't studied much, and I don't know what hygiene knowledge a girl her age should understand, so I can only make her a bowl of brown sugar water each time."

"I often like to scroll through short videos to kill time, and sometimes Zhaozhao sits beside me watching. A few months ago, she saw a video on my phone of city girls embroidering on sanitary pads and asked me, 'Why are they doing that?' The video said that this activity is meant to tell other girls not to feel ashamed of their bodies, that menstruation represents female identity, and it's beautiful. But I didn't know how to explain that to Zhaozhao."

As she boarded the bus to the county school, Huizi gazed out at the grey morning light. 

"I often feel that my life is like this overcast sky, rarely seeing where the road ahead leads." Huizi's gaze remained fixed outside. "In our school's information technology class, we sometimes connect to the internet, and I've seen some landscapes and lives in big cities. The buildings are so tall, the overpasses are so long, and there are so many cars. The children there are really beautiful."

The bus jolted along the rocky road, and Huizi seemed oblivious to it all. Yu Cheng didn't respond but handed her a phone, the screen displaying a short video titled "Sanitary Pad Embroidery." 

"Zhaozhao saw this at Aunt Jiusi's and asked, 'Why are they doing that?' What do you think they are doing?"

Huizi held the phone, looking confused. 

"I don't know," she replied.

Despite her utmost efforts, Huizi feels that her life thus far has been barren and superficial. Children like her do not understand the daily lives of urban kids, nor do they grasp the concept of "art." All she knows is that education remains her only shortcut out of this desolation, the sole means available to her. 

"Why do they draw on sanitary pads instead of using them?" Huizi asks again, "It's such a waste to use good sanitary pads for drawing." 

Huizi has no electronic devices and has never engaged in online shopping. Children like her, are unaware that a certain brand of sanitary pads sells 200 pieces online for 40 Yuan, the same price as the unbranded bulk pads sold by street vendors. This seems like an expense anyone could easily afford. However, the lack of information and the underdevelopment of urban infrastructure has led to a long-term absence of essential menstrual health education. No one has informed them about the importance of using clean, proper sanitary pads, nor have they been warned that using menstrual belts or low-quality pads can lead to allergies, itching, infections, inflammation, hemolysis, or even cancer.

When women in the city attempt to express the discourse surrounding female bodies and confront the significance of menstruation as a part of womanhood, it cannot be denied that this is a social issue that urban survivors must face. Yet, when confronted with the counterarguments from individuals like Huizi and Zhaodi, the silenced voices of women at the grassroots level, along with the vast material and educational deficiencies, are laid bare under the harsh light of day. 

Only when people are satiated can they serve the realm of thought.

The scenery outside the window whirls by like a fleeting panorama, blending into the footsteps echoing through the myriad experiences of life within the hospital. 

After three hours on a long-distance bus, Xiaohua's mother clutches her daughter's medical examination results, lingering in front of the gynaecology outpatient department of the municipal hospital, awaiting the doctor's call.

Xiaohua is facing one of the gynaecological issues triggered by her menstrual cycle, a condition that falls into a more serious category of adolescent gynaecological problems.

Both Xiaohua and her mother are visiting a large general hospital in the city for the first time. Upon entering the consultation room, they feel a bit uneasy, but fortunately, the attending female doctor is patient and gentle. After reviewing Xiaohua's examination report, she carefully inquires about Xiaohua's related symptoms. Following a private examination in the consultation room, she issues a list of tests and advises the mother-daughter duo to return to the consultation room half an hour after the tests are completed.

Payment, queuing for registration, and laboratory tests proceed smoothly with the assistance of the staff, allowing Xiaohua to undergo the necessary examinations without issue. The staff retrieves the blood test report for Xiaohua, which her mother stacks together with the ultrasound report.

Before entering the consultation room, her mother tells Xiaohua, "I suffered from gynaecological issues at your age and know what that feels like. I only wish for your good health." 

Xiaohua, who had been reluctant to let her mother pay and had even tried to stop her, feels her mood soften after hearing this and takes her mother's hand to return to the consultation room.

The doctor glances over the reports, marking several indicators and ultrasound data with her pen. After clarifying the diagnosis, she explains the situation to both Xiaohua and her mother.

"...mucinous cystadenoma? Surgery?" Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Xiaohua's mother was still taken aback by the severity of her daughter's condition. 

"Yes, it's a borderline mucinous cystadenoma." 

Accustomed to the panic and confusion that patients exhibit upon hearing their diagnosis, the doctor circled a point on the imaging report and spoke patiently and reassuringly, "From a medical standpoint, the probability of discovering a mucinous cystadenoma during adolescence is approximately 20%. So, there's no need to be overly frightened; this isn't considered a serious issue, and little one, you needn't be afraid either. This condition is a tumour that lies between benign and malignant. For children like Xiaohua, we typically recommend a conservative surgical approach to remove the affected tissue and conduct a pathological examination. As long as the pathology report indicates no metastasis and the prognosis is favourable, the likelihood of recurrence is quite low." 

"Alright, alright, alright," Xiaohua's mother repeated three times. "Doctor, we will follow your advice." 

"Then let me check if there are any available beds in the ward. If there are, we can admit her today. If not, I will arrange for a nearby bed, and we will proceed with the surgery as soon as possible." 

Amidst the bustling crowd, Xiaohua and her mother followed the narrative, lost in the hurried pace of the hospital.

—— Through a survey on sanitary conditions, we discovered that approximately 68% of students lack knowledge regarding physiological hygiene during puberty, and about 64% exhibit weak awareness of daily healthcare practices (for instance, failing to wash hands after addressing physiological issues). Furthermore, around 45% of students have not used formal sanitary pads since their menarche. A gynaecological examination was conducted on 3,675 female students aged 15-19 from seven high schools in W County, which included routine gynaecological checks, abdominal ultrasounds, and routine vaginal discharge tests. The results indicated that 2,881 students were affected by varying degrees of gynaecological diseases. Among these, general menstrual irregularities, vaginitis, and vulvitis ranked as the top three issues, followed by ovarian tumours and developmental abnormalities or malformations of the reproductive tract. According to the "Sanitary Standards for Public Toilets" (GB/T 17217-2021), only one school's female toilets met the required number of squat toilets, three schools had toilet management systems in place, and four schools lacked handwashing facilities, despite offering health education courses. Additionally, biochemical researchers found that none of the 26 public toilets across the seven high schools had undergone disinfection of public toilets or self-sourced water. Microbial indicators exceeded standards in 70% of water samples; specifically, the detection rate of coliform bacteria was 72.6%, Staphylococcus aureus was 48.6%, hemolytic streptococcus was 37.3%, and mould was found at a rate of 35.2%, indicating severe microbial contamination. Moreover, after testing 103 bulk sanitary pads collected from female students across the seven high schools, we found that 95% contained harmful chemicals and bacteria, with none of the bulk sanitary pads meeting relevant safety and quality standards.

The narrative unfolds alongside the voiceover, detailing the agreement among seven universities to implement a campus restroom renovation plan.

—— So, why is there a need for a campus restroom renovation plan?

The public's questions are being raised and addressed at this moment. 

Zhong Jing, who has been adversely affected by her nephew, makes her first appearance on camera, standing in defence of the female perspective to clarify this inquiry.

"First and foremost, the public needs to understand two key points. The first is what menstruation is. The second is what menstrual poverty and menstrual health represent. Menstruation is the periodic shedding and bleeding of the endometrium that occurs alongside the cyclical changes of the ovaries. A regular period is not only a crucial indicator of a woman's reproductive maturity but also reflects her physiological and psychological health. 'Menstrual poverty' refers to the lack of sufficient funds for women or adolescent girls to purchase sanitary products, pain relief medications, new underwear, and all other essentials necessary for maintaining menstrual health. These menstrual supplies are fundamental items for ensuring physiological hygiene during menstruation."

"As a female entrepreneur, I can candidly state that even among our healthcare professionals, men often lack understanding of the physiological health issues currently faced by women. I have a set of nationwide data regarding women's menstruation, which reveals that nearly 20% of the almost 700 million women in our population have experienced discrimination or teasing during puberty due to menstruation, and 3% of women still rely on low-cost bulk sanitary pads. In underdeveloped regions, there are still 4 million adolescent girls trapped in "menstrual poverty." While these figures may seem insignificant at first glance, when contextualised, they lead to a crucial conclusion: "Menstrual poverty" is not merely a women's issue, but a pressing social concern. The existence of this problem itself indicates a substantial lack of access to sanitary products, health education, and hygiene facilities for many women in our country. Clearly, addressing this issue requires coordinated efforts from various national departments, yet we choose to take on our corporate social responsibility.

"In W County, the seven high schools, the earliest established in 1992 and the most recent in 2019, still face the same issues regarding sanitary facilities, which can be summarized as damp, foul-smelling, dark, and slippery. For instance, regarding the size of toilets and the number of squat toilets, national health standards dictate a male-to-female toilet ratio of at least 1:2. Our research team has obtained precise data that aligns closely with this ratio. Therefore, on the surface, the equal square footage of male and female public toilets appears reasonable, as this has been the historical norm. However, women spend 2.3 times longer in restrooms than men, with 20%-25% of women being on their period and needing to change sanitary products.

"Therefore, based on regional circumstances, we believe that sanitary facilities and hygiene supplies are essential guarantees for the deepening of health education. Only when sanitary conditions and hygiene supplies are ensured can we confidently tell girls that shedding the 'shame of menstruation' is truly not a big deal. 

"And So, when you ask me 'why implement a campus public toilet renovation plan,' it is because all environmental, social, and cultural perspectives, along with testing results, indicate a direct relationship between the state of public health environments, the safety and quality of hygiene supplies, and the incidence of gynaecological diseases! The quality of public health environments is as crucial as the safety standards for tested sanitary pads. The menstrual health of girls begins not only with sanitary pads but also with the restroom; a correct awareness of physiological hygiene for women starts in the toilet. Only when the long-silenced needs of women are acknowledged and acted upon can our society truly transition from 'menstrual shame' to 'menstrual pride,' allowing social civilisation to continue to progress." 

When the program aired, it was revealed that "90% of sanitary pad brands had unsatisfactory monitoring results, with products spanning all categories."