Shefali Rafiq 2024 Save The Children x IPPG Commission
The temporary tents housing members of the Bakarwal tribal community in Awantipora area of south Kashmir. Dependent on sheep and cattle for their livelihood, they undertake a biannual migration: in summer from Rajouri, their ancestral home, to the mountain pastures of Srinagar and, in winter, back down to the plains of Jammu. The tribals who are financially unstable set up makeshift tents in the open fields, the tent is usually a tarpaulin sheet erected on wooden sticks. The photograph is significant because it shows the living condition of the tribal people who live under extreme poverty.
Naseema, a 35-year-old Gujjar tribal woman washes an old blue scarf that she uses instead of sanitary pads during her periods at her home in Faqir Gujri, central Kashmir. The tribal women don't use pads owing to their poverty and stick to the age-old tradition of using old cloth to stop the flow of blood. The washed menstrual cloth is then dried usually on their rooftop, away from their husbands gaze. The tribal women hide their menstruation from male family members including their husbands and do not talk about it openly. It is considered to be unhygienic as the cloth that the tribal women use is usually old and dirty. Much like others, Naseema can’t afford sanitary protection as her priority is to feed her children. The photograph is significant because it shows the usage of old cloth instead of pads and reflects on the period poverty theme of the story. For this photograph, I waited for my character to start menstruating as I wanted to document the process visually. This picture was taken when she changed the cloth and washed this one to use it later.
Naseema in her kitchen at her shabby house as her frame is captured in the mirror. Among the tribal communities, there are several myths surrounding menstrual health. Among these, one of the popular ones is that if a woman who is menstruating looks in a mirror, it will lead to an infection and ruin their face. So, in this picture, I tried to make her stand on the window and captured her through a mirror that was hanging on her kitchen wall. I wanted to present this myth via a picture which is what makes this particular photograph significant.
Naseema drying the washed menstrual cloth on her rooftop, away from her husband’s gaze. The tribal women hide their menstruation from male family members including their husbands and do not talk about it openly. The significance of this photograph is that it shows how tribal women take to their rooftops to hide the cloth that they use as a substitute for sanitary pads.
18-year-old Rukhsana along with her friend, Neelofar,15, from the tribal community wait at a local government hospital in Harwan area of central Kashmir. Many tribal women suffer from deficiency of Iron owing to lack of awareness on menstrual health. The women were going to the hospital for a check up. It was there that the doctor told a couple of them about the iron deficiency that they had. I followed them to the hospital and took the picture there while they were waiting for their turns. This photograph is significant because it shows the women at a hospital which is a luxury for many of them. While the tribal community is on their move, not many of them are able to visit a doctor while travelling for days altogether.
15-year-old Shama from Bakerwal community looks after her flock of sheep in the Shalimar area in the outskirts of Srinagar. The Bakerwal community is dependent on the cattle rearing for their livelihood. The teenager looks after her cattle throughout the day and takes a break in between. Shama has some skin blemishes on her face (probably caused by sun exposure), which she thinks are the result of looking in a mirror while on her period. She’s afraid of accidentally doing it again, because she believes it will blacken her face. The photograph is significant because it presents the version of teenage tribal women who much like their elders believe in the old-age myths. This photograph also reflects on how tribal teenage women due to lack of financial support have to help their families in doing the job of adults. Shama has never used a sanitary pad and she has no knowledge about it either.
Children from a Gujjar family playing and having tea outside their mud-built house near Yousmarg, Kashmir around 50 kms away from the capital of Srinagar. The Gujjar families in Kashmir mostly live in far-flung and hilly areas. This photograph is significant because it shows the living condition of Gujjar families who live in the far flung areas away from the city’s hustle bustle. This photograph also draws attention to the financial constraints of the tribals which is one of the central themes of the project. Date: 11 May, 2022.
Razia, a tribal woman washes her menstrual cloth in a stream near her tent in Chandipora area on the outskirts of Srinagar. The tribals put up their tents near water bodies so that they can have access to water for themselves and their livestock. Because tribal women do not have access to washrooms so they clean themselves during the night time when everyone is asleep. Even to clean the cloth, they make sure to clean it at a time when the men folk is not around as it is a taboo among the community that a male should not be able to see the cloth used for menstruation. This photograph is significant as it shows how tribal women living in tents clean their menstrual cloth which again establishes their poverty.
35-year-old Razia, a member of the Bakarwal tribal community, in her tent. She had travelled for days and has had bad experiences of travelling during her menstruation. The 200-kilometre journey takes a month and involves trekking through high mountain passes populated by potentially dangerous wild animals. This photograph is significant because it shows the woman in her private space after finishing the ardent task of travelling for days.
Teenage tribal girls, Kausar, 16 (left), and Rukhsana, 18, inside their tent in Chandipora, cooking food. Among the tribal communities, women and girls stay at home and cook for other family members while the men go out to rare cattle and work. The teenage girls don’t have many avenues for entertainment which is why they take pleasure from cooking and in activities like fetching water. They also enjoy gossiping. This picture is significant because it shows the normal life of teenage tribal women and how they like to spend their time.
Naseema looks through the window of her house that is covered with a polythene owing to poverty, in Faqir Gujri area of central Kashmir.
About the work
The project is about the poor menstrual hygiene of Kashmir’s tribal women and the deeply ingrained taboos surrounding menstruation among the community. It delves into the lives of these remarkable women and their unwavering pursuit of menstrual liberation.
The project, which is the first one to document this subject through photography and a feature paints a vivid picture of the Gujjar-Bakarwal tribal community, known for their harmonious coexistence with nature and their nomadic lifestyle.
The project dives into the intimate realm of menstrual health, illuminating the untold stories of these women who have historically endured marginalization and discrimination. The project captured with sensitivity and compassion artfully documents the everyday realities faced by Gujjar-Bakarwal women during their menstrual cycles. The images expose the challenges they encounter in accessing safe and hygienic menstrual products, as well as the prevalent lack of awareness and education surrounding menstruation.
Furthermore, the photo story poignantly reveals the pervasive stigma that isolates and shames these women, perpetuating a cycle of silence and disempowerment.
Amidst these narratives of struggle and adversity, the project shines a spotlight on the unwavering spirit and determination of the Gujjar-Bakarwal women.
The photographs capture their resolute commitment to challenging the status quo, as they assert their agency over their bodies and reclaim their right to live free from the constraints of menstrual taboos.
Their courage and resilience are palpable as they engage in community-driven initiatives, striving to educate themselves and their fellow community members, fostering an environment of support and empowerment.
The project seeks to dismantle the walls of ignorance and societal norms that perpetuate the marginalization of women. By amplifying the voices of these marginalized women and their quest for menstrual liberation, the photo story serves as a powerful catalyst for social change and gender equality.
I worked on the project for about two and a half months. I spent time with the women and made them comfortable enough to get photographed. It was a challenging task to be able to convince them to talk, and to let me photograph them. Since I wanted to show what they go through during their periods, I waited for two of my characters to menstruate and started documenting them.
About the Photographer
Shefali Rafiq is a 24-year-old journalist, and a documentary photographer based in Indian administered conflict-ridden Kashmir. She was born in a remote village of Qaimoh in South Kashmir, where violence and killings have been a daily affair. ‘The violence and sufferings left a lasting effect on me, and that is when I decided to pick up a camera and document the atrocities. In the last four years of my experience in the field, my work has focused on gender, society and human rights and my work has been published in reputed international organizations like Foreign Policy, Open Democracy, The Christian Science Monitor and others.’