Last week, the first death, since Nepal criminalized chauupadi last year, was reported. Chauupadi translates to “untouchable being,” and it is a Hindu practice prevalent in Nepal, where women and girls are exiled from their homes during their monthly period cycles. Al Jazeera reported that Gauri Kumari Budha, a 22-year-old student was found dead on January 8th inside a low, windowless mud hut while on her period. Many others have died while practising chauupadi from a plethora of causes such a snake bites, hypothermia and infection. Since 2007, thirteen females have reportedly died, although the unofficial number is likely to be higher. In 2005, the practice was banned. Nonetheless, this was ineffective, spurring the Parliament to criminalize chauupadi. However, the new law sanctioned by the Nepalese Supreme Court confers a penalty of only $30 for someone who forces a woman to follow the custom.
Gauri’s husband Birendra, a Nepalese policeman, told Al Jazeera that he had warned her against following chauupadi because it is unsafe and unhygienic. But he also stated that “people here are dogmatic in their beliefs and many women practice even if they are told not to.” Yet, “when the spouse of a Nepali policeman dies…that gives you an indication of the kind of challenges we (women’s health advocates) face,” said Pema Lhaki. She went on to say that although she welcomed the new law, women and girls “would continue to suffer and die so long as menstruation was linked to impurity.” Another women’s health worker, Radha Paudel, suggested to Al Jazeera that the “solution is to create a dialogue about menstruation, that it is natural and the scientific message needs to be delivered.”
Nepal’s move to criminalize chauupadi is a fantastic step in the right direction. It is almost inconceivable that in the 21st century menstruation is still considered unnatural and harmful. Paradoxically, it is those views and the subsequent practices that make the monthly cycle deadly. A period should be something that is, at the very least, understood and respected, if not celebrated. Half of the world’s population will at some point in their lives experience menstruation. Moreover, not one of us would be here if our mothers did not have periods. Being banished to a mud hut because of a perfectly normal physiological function is the male equivalent of being exiled while his voice drops.
If we extract what the custom does, and look at it from another perspective, it becomes very evident that the practice is a form of discrimination and a human rights abuse. A group of humans are separated from society based on a key feature, forced into isolation, and undergo a series of harmful practices. It is clear, however, that for the most part, the act is not intended to be malicious but based on unscientific fears and beliefs. Therefore, in order to create a more peaceful society, a large-scale education campaign is necessary to protect women and girls and enlighten men.
The practice of chauupadi is an issue that is overlooked and needs to be addressed. In the far west of Nepal, most people still believe that women on their periods are unlucky and can bring curses into the household. According to Al Jazeera, women are banned from social gatherings, denied access to toilets in their own homes, and prevented from eating certain kinds of food. While these practices are enforced and encouraged by religious leaders, “women do it too because they believe they are protecting their loved ones,” reported Republika. Furthermore, according to Action Works Nepal, as many as 95% of girls and women in Nepal practice chauupadi, with most being banished to cowsheds. The Guardian has reported that the practice has been linked to many different psychological and physical illnesses. For example, 77% of Nepalese women feel humiliated during their periods and almost two-thirds describe being “lonely and scared when staying in cowsheds.” Furthermore, the UN explains that diarrhoea, pneumonia, respiratory diseases, incidents of attacks from drunk men as well as abuse, rape and high infant mortality rates (both the mother and child are banished to the shed after birth) are exponentially increased.
Gauri’s death shows that while legislative changes are underway, they will be insufficient until the local culture changes too. Yet, changing centuries-old customs is never easy and as Paudel explains “the underlying principle is segregation, menstrual restrictions are a human rights issue, it ends when gender discrimination ends.”
