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Menstruation. A simple word describing a natural biological process, weighed down by centuries of stigma,
月经。一个简单的词，用来描述一个自然的却一直被污名化的生理现象，
has been transformed into something most of us can only speak about in whispers. But why?
让我们大多数的人只能私下谈论它。但是，为什么呢？
As I speak to you right now, more than 800 million women around the world are having a period.
就在我现在讲话的时间里，世界上就有超过8亿的女性正处于例假期间。
None of us would exist without it, and yet it remains an "embarrassing" subject to broach.
我们（女性）都会经历这件事情，但是它却一直是一个“令人羞辱”的事情。
From my experience and that of the women around me, I can tell you that it's exhausting.
基于我自己和我身边女性的经历，我得说，这件事让人精疲力竭。
It's exhausting to carefully take out a brown paper bag hiding a pad,
小心地把卫生巾用不透光的棕色纸袋包起来，
stuffing it into your pocket in the middle of a class and rushing to the washroom as discreetly as possible.
在上课期间把它塞进口袋，再提心吊胆地冲进洗手间，这让我们感到精疲力竭。
It's exhausting to sit through lessons and meetings pretending to be absolutely normal,
在课堂和会议上坐得端端正正，表面上假装什么事情也没有发生，
while internally crying out from intense period cramps.
私底下却要忍受强烈的痛经，这让我们感到精疲力竭。
It's exhausting to be dismissively told that you're PMSing or suffering from "that time of the month,"
一直被别人轻描淡写地说，你只是在经历经前综合症，或是经历“一个月中的那几天”，这让我们感到精疲力竭，
and it's exhausting to continuously fight back against age-old traditions
让我们感到筋疲力尽的还有，就是和过时的传统相抗衡，
that ask you not to pray, visit temples, cook, touch pickle and the list goes on and on,
比如，月经期间不能祈祷，不能去寺庙，不能做饭，不能接触腌制食品等等，
while you're just trying to bleed and be left in peace.
尤其是当你只是想要一个人静静地流血时。
But you know what the worst part is?
但你知道最糟的是什么吗？
The worst part is that the things that seem tiring to us are merely the tip of the iceberg,
最糟的部分就是，这些让我们劳累不堪的事情却仅仅只是冰山一角，
because we in this room are privileged enough to be able to afford sanitary napkins every month,
因为能够坐在这个屋子里的各位已经非常幸运了，我们每个月都可以买得起卫生巾，
to be able to visit a gynecologist in case of any problem,
如果有什么问题，我们随时都可以去看妇科医生，
to be able to tell what's normal and abnormal with our monthly cycle.
我们能够知道月经的相关知识，能分辨什么是正常的而什么不是。
We have access to water, sanitation and toilets that help us maintain our privacy and hygiene.
我们能够使用干净的水，卫生设施以及马桶，让我们维护隐私并保持健康。
But what about those who don't?
但没有这些条件的人怎么办呢？
What about 335 million girls around the world
世界上有大约3.35亿的女孩，
who go to school without even having access to water and soap to wash their hands?
她们的学校里甚至没有用来洗手的水和肥皂，她们怎么办呢？
What about 15-year-old schoolgirls in Kenya who have to sell their bodies to be able to buy sanitary napkins?
肯尼亚十五岁的女学生需要通过卖身赚钱来买卫生巾，她们怎么办呢？
What about two-thirds of rural high school girls in India
印度有三分之二的乡村女高中生，
who don't even understand what their bodies are going through at menarche?
在初潮的时候甚至不知道自己的身体发生了什么，她们怎么办呢？
And right now, we are all gathered here in the USA.
现在既然我们都相聚在美国。
So what about 64 percent of women in St. Louis, Missouri,
那64%的住在密苏里州圣路易斯的女性，
who weren't able to afford menstrual hygiene supplies in the previous year?
在去年她们买不起经期必需品，她们怎么办呢？
What about the struggles of homeless, transgender, intersex and displaced people who menstruate? What about them?
那些会来月经的无家可归的人，变性人，中性人以及背井离乡的人呢？她们怎么办？
The scale of the problem, stemming in part from the deep-rooted stigma attached to menstruation, is unimaginable.
根深蒂固的月经羞耻让问题的程度之深变得不可想象。
And the desire to voice this frustration led me,
因为想要去为这样令人懊恼的事情发声，
along with three other teammates, to initiate a campaign that calls for change,
我和三名队友发起了一项运动，希望能带来改变，
questions the taboos surrounding menstruation and spreads period positivity.
质疑那些关于月经的禁忌以及传播关于月经的正能量。
The name of our campaign, "Pravahkriti," was born from the message that we want to convey to the world.
我们把这项运动取名为“Pravahkriti”，是因为它暗含了我们想传递给这个世界的信息。
"Pravah" means "flow," and "kriti" means "a beautiful creation."
“Pravah”的意思是“流动”，而“kriti”则意味着“一项美丽的创造”。
Because how could the monthly cycle that ultimately gives rise to all creation be anything less than beautiful?
归根结底，我们每个人的诞生都是源于月经，它怎么能不美呢？
Now, as a social issue, menstruation has several facets to it that overlap, reinforce and worsen the situation.
作为一个社会问题，月经涉及到很多领域，它们互相重叠，加强并导致了问题的恶化。
So we based our campaign on four fundamental pillars: health, hygiene, awareness and spreading positivity.
所以，我们的运动有四项基本宗旨：健康，卫生，意识，以及传播正能量。
But how did we actually implement this? Well, we started within the walls of our school classroom.
但我们要如何做出实际行动呢？一切都开始于学校里的教室。
Instead of simply explaining menstruation to children from a textbook or biological standpoint,
与其简单地照着课本或是从生物学角度出发向孩子们解释月经是什么，
we adopted an innovative approach. We conducted an activity
我们采用了更加有创意的做法。我们发起了一项活动，
where students strung together a bracelet consisting of 28 beads signifying the length of the menstrual cycle,
让学生们串手链，每个手链有28个珠子，象征着一个月经周期，
out of which four to seven beads were of a different color, demonstrating the days a woman bleeds.
其中4至7个珠子有着不同颜色，代表着女性流血的那几天。
And in this way, we not only explained what periods are in a manner that was educational but also approachable and engaging.
用这种极具教育意义的方法，我们不仅为孩子们说明了什么是月经，并且使得这个概念更加生动形象。
To offer another example, we explored various ways of alleviating cramps,
此外，我们探索了缓解痛经的不同方式，
including preparing some natural remedies in school itself.
包括在学校里准备一些自然的补救措施。
And we didn't just stop at involving girls in our campaign.
我们不仅把女孩儿们带到这项运动中来。
In fact, boys were equally involved, and one of our co-team members, as you saw, is also a boy.
事实上，男孩儿们也参与进来了，正如你所见，我们团队中的一名成员正是一名男性。
Through internal conversations where girls could freely share their personal experiences
在一些交心的对话里，女孩儿们可以自由地分享她们的个人经历，
and boys could just ask questions, no matter how "dumb" they might seem,
而男孩儿们则可以问问题，不论这些问题看上去有多蠢。
our male volunteers quickly got over their awkwardness, not just supporting but also leading educational sessions.
我们的男性志愿者迅速克服了他们的尴尬情绪，他们不仅支持，还领导了一些教育会议。
Clearly, starting an inclusive conversation, including members of all genders
很明显，在所有性别中开展一场包容的对话，
and listening to and supporting each other, can go a long way.
让大家互相倾听，互相支持，这条路可以走很远。
Now, to make our campaign successful, we conducted extensive research,
为了让我们的运动更加成功，我们做了很多研究，
interviewed gynecologists, surveyed people to gauge public opinion on periods
采访了妇科医生，通过群众调查收集了大家对于月经的一些观点，
and conducted a panel discussion with professionals working in this field.
还找到了这个领域的专家，举办了一场座谈会。
And then we undertook the journey to create change.
接着，我们踏上了做出改变的旅途。
We organized a stall at Shilpotsav, a local fair,
我们在一个叫Shilpostsav的地方展会上设立了展台，
where we distributed sanitary napkin-shaped envelopes and bookmarks containing period-positive messages.
发放了一些卫生巾形状的信封，以及一些带有月经正能量信息的书签。
We donated hundreds of pads that we had collected through a pad donation drive at school.
我们在学校发起了护垫捐赠活动，并把收集到的数百个护垫都捐赠了出去。
Interacting with young girls in government and charitable schools,
在与政府部门和慈善学校的女孩儿们交谈的过程中，
we explained periods to them through a game of hopscotch and distributed period kits that we had made ourselves
我们通过跳房子游戏向她们解释了月经周期，并向她们发放了我们自己做的经期工具箱，
that consisted of a pad and other items like a paper soap and sanitizer for maintaining hygiene,
里面有卫生护垫，纸香皂，卫生保健用消毒液，
a piece of dark chocolate just to lift their mood, a sachet of ginger tea and so on.
以及一块黑巧克力，来让她们心情更好，还有一小袋姜茶，等等。
In whatever we did, we strived to think beyond the norm and break barriers,
不论我们做什么，我们都努力不受固有观念影响，并突破障碍，
be it by creating a physical period tracker to help girls without access to the internet to record their monthly cycle,
为了达到这一目的，我们开发了一款月经追踪器，让女孩们可以在不需要联网的情况下记录自己的月经周期，
or sensitizing the masses by performing street plays, or even developing a video game called "Crimson Crusade"
我们还通过街头表演来获得大众的关注，我们甚至还推出了一款名为“深红斗争”的电子游戏，
that introduces both boys and girls to problems faced by menstruating women globally
以此向男孩和女孩介绍那些全世界女性共同面对的月经难题，
and players progress in the game by defeating menstrual monsters.
玩家们通过击败月经怪兽进行通关。
To sustain this effort, we've installed 10 sanitary napkin dispensers in several schools.
为了保持住这些已有的成果，我们在几个学校里安装了10个卫生巾自动发放机。
Gradually, people's mindsets are changing. But does change come so easily?
人们的观念逐渐开始改变了。但是，改变真的会来得如此容易吗？
At a school for the underprivileged,
在一个条件并没有那么好的学校里，
we encountered a girl who had just got her first period but wasn't wearing anything to absorb the flow.
我们遇到了一个刚刚经历初潮的女孩，但她没有穿任何东西去吸收经血。
Imagine being her, sitting in class feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable,
想象一下自己是她，坐在教室里，感觉尴尬又难受，
looking down and seeing red, asking your parents for help, asking what was going on with you and being dismissed.
低头就能看见一片红色，向家长求助，问他们自己怎么了但是却不被理会。
Imagine the shame, fear and embarrassment for being "caught" doing something wrong
想象一下这样因为被“抓到”干坏事儿所带来的耻辱，恐惧以及尴尬，
that forces you into living in ignorance and silence at the cost of your health and dignity.
这些情绪迫使你在蒙昧和沉默中生活，牺牲了你自己的健康和尊严。
While we do our part, our endeavors will only be successful
尽管会尽我们所能，但我们的努力只有在这种情况下才可谓成功，
if each one of you internalizes and spreads onward the idea that menstruation is completely normal,
那就是你们每一个人都接受并且传播“月经是完全正常的”这一观念，
if each one of you conveys this message to every person you know.
你们每个人都把这个信息传递给你们认识的每个人。
When we can discuss digestion, blood circulation and respiration -- all natural, biological processes
既然我们能够自由讨论消化，血液循环和呼吸--这些都是完全正常的生理现象，
why should menstruation be off-limits?
那我们为什么不能毫无顾忌地讨论月经？
And you, too, can help make it less taboo, simply by being more open with male friends and family members,
你也可以让它变得不那么禁忌，通过向男性朋友或是家庭成员敞开心扉，
supporting local and international organizations working to improve menstrual hygiene management,
支持地区或是国际上的相关组织，努力改善月经期间的卫生管理，
making menstrual bracelets with middle school kids in your area or even by playing Crimson Crusade with your friends.
跟你区域里的中学生们一起做月经手链，或是跟你的朋友一起玩“深红斗争”。
Every small steps counts, because brushing this topic under the carpet perpetuates lack of access to sanitary absorbents,
每一小步都有意义，因为若是这个话题留在遮羞布下，那么缺少清洁的吸附物，
ignorance of menstrual health issues, school absenteeism, infection and so much more.
对经期健康的蒙昧无知，旷课缺勤，传染病等情况就会越来越多。
I'd like to end with a few lines a volunteer wrote for us:
我想用几句志愿者写给我们的话作为结尾：
"Let the crimson tide turn.
“让那深红的浪涨潮吧！
Let there be waves of positivity, thundering applause, villages full of women who bleed with pride.
让那儿有一波又一波的正能量，雷鸣般的掌声，村庄里的女人因流血而自豪。
Let there be a scent of education drifting through the oxygen inhaled by men, women and children.
让那儿有教育的芬香随着氧气被男人，女人和孩子们吸入。
Let all know the marvels of menstruation and celebrate Pravahkriti." Thank you.
让我们都认识到月经的奇迹，一起庆祝Pravahkriti。”谢谢。
