The long illegal practice of «chhaupadi», the huts in which menstruating women are forced, registers another victim: a Nepalese girl of just 16, Anita Chand, found dead probably from a snake bite while she slept alone in her isolated bed to respect tradition. Her death is the first reported in recent years but there are several, at least 15, cases of which – the Guardian recalls – news has come to light. The chhaupadi is based on the age-old belief that women and girls are impure and untouchable during menstruation. They are not allowed to engage in a variety of activities and in many cases are banned from community life, locked in ‘cycle huts’.
The practice, which has ties to Hinduism, is deeply rooted in western Nepal. Experienced every month by 44% of women inhabiting the remotest regions of Nepal, it was declared illegal in 2005, and is punishable by up to three months in prison and a fine of 3,000 Nepalese rupees (roughly 23 euros). The police of the Baitadi district, where Anita died, opened an investigation and her family denied that she had her period, fearing the punishments provided for by law. “We are working to end this practice, but we still have a lot to do,” said Bina Bhatta, deputy chairman of Pancheshwar Rural Municipality in Baitadi. The last victim before Anita had been a 21-year-old girl, Parwati Budh, found lifeless in a small hut in the far west of Nepal in 2019. She died of asphyxiation due to the fumes exhaled from a fire lit in an attempt to warm up during a freezing night.
According to the chhaupadi, during the period, women are not allowed to enter the house, meet family – especially men – or go to temples. The consumption of milk, yoghurt, butter, meat and other nutritious foods is also prohibited, as is the use of warm blankets during the winter. Isolated in special ‘menstrual’ spaces, women are at high risk of diseases, such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and respiratory problems. They also face the threat of attacks by wild animals or even assault and rape. A project funded by the United Nations Gender Equality Organization and implemented by the international NGO Restless Development, says the program has reached more than 45,000 women and girls, reducing the percentage from 19.4% to 5.5% of those who sleep in menstruation huts. But that’s not all, girls like Anita keep losing their lives every year.