Nepali women still plagued by archaic practice of imprisonment during menstruation
As the world today marks International Women’s Day, the archaic practice of menstrual expulsion known as chaupadi, remains highly prevalent in far-western Nepal, writes Bibek Bhandari
After a bath, on the fifth day of her menstrual cycle, Sunita BK said she was “cleansed” and ready to return to her house.
For the past four days, BK, 19, had been forced to live in a makeshift shed known as a “goth” that serves as a temporary confinement for women during menstruation. The 1.2 metre by 2 metre tin-roofed hut is off limits to the main household.
Our elders think the gods will be angry. The family will have to bear the consequences if we stay in the house during menstruation. We can’t speak against them
“I feel free today,” BK said scurrying around her nine-room house in Mangalsen, Accham.
As the world today marks International Women’s Day, the archaic practice of menstrual expulsion, known as chaupadi, remains highly prevalent in far-western districts of Nepal, including Accham.
The government’s Department of Women’s Development estimates women in around 80 per cent of Accham’s households undergo menstruation confined to goths. An upcoming report by the Save the Children NGO says the rate is even higher, at 89 per cent.
Dr Aruna Uprety, a researcher of chaupadi, said the feudal tradition stems from Hindu religious beliefs that consider menstruating women as “impure” and “untouchable.”