A girl who was banished to a “hut during menstruation” died in Nepal
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In Nepal, a girl who was forced to stay in a “menstruation hut” where, according to folk custom, girls are expelled, died. Anita Chand, 16, from the western district of Baitadi, which borders India, died on August 9 of a snake bite. The reptile attacked her while she was sleeping in the hut, reports The Guardian. Despite efforts to eradicate the practice of banishing girls and women during menstruation, Nepal has taken several steps backwards due to the COVID-19 pandemic, human rights activists say. It is about an illegal practice called chhaupadi, where women are forced to live in huts outside their homes during menstruation. This is not the first time a girl has died in such a cave – before that, a death from “chhaupadi” was recorded in 2019. Read also: Menstruation in a bomb shelter: how to monitor hygiene in wartime? MOH guidelines Photo Illustrative: Nadine Swart/GettyImages The tradition exists because of the centuries-old belief that women and girls are “unclean” and “untouchable” during menstruation. They are not allowed to engage in certain activities and in some cases are banished to “menstruation huts” even though chhaupadi was banned in 2005. The practice is deeply rooted in western Nepal, although it is punishable by up to three months in prison and a fine of 3,000 Nepalese rupees ($22). Baitadi district police said they are investigating the death of Anita Chand. And the girl’s family denies that she was on her period when she died. “We are working to put an end to this practice, but we still have a lot to do,” said Bina Bhatta, vice-chairman of Pancheswar Village Municipality in Baitada. We will remind, meanwhile, Scotland was the first in the world to make pads and tampons free for women. Read also: Menstruation: what it is, how to survive periods and PMS, in which cases to go to the doctor
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