Zambian women's day off for periods stokes debate

A Zambian law that entitles women to take one day off work a month when they have their period is stirring increasingly fierce debate in a country reluctant to discuss sexual health. Discreetly called Mother's Day, the 2015 law - unique in Africa - enables women to be absent from work without notice or a doctor's note to help them cope with menstrual bleeding, pain and cramps.
"It helps me to manage my physiological needs (and) I think it's very important that I always endorse it," Shupe Luchembe, 36, a civil servant in the capital Lusaka and mother of three, told AFP.
"As a woman, it goes without saying that every month I need a special day away from the office to manage myself properly."
In Zambia, a southern African country of 15.5 million people, discussing sex and personal health is largely taboo and often surrounded by secrecy and misunderstanding. Many parents prefer not to explain how their children were conceived and born, instead saying they were "brought from the hospital." But two years ago, employment law was amended to grant all women - and not just mothers, despite its title - one day of menstrual leave each month after lobbying by campaigners. But not everyone is a fan. While some Zambian women say the day off is widely abused, the law is also a popular subject for complaint among Zambian men.
Zambia's approach is rare across the world, though Japan has had similar legislation since 1947 and Indonesia, Taiwan and South Korea have since followed suit.