Menstruation and Impurity Are Synonymous in Nepal

December 2, 2021 CATALYST Team

Women and young girls are dying every year in Nepal because of a tradition that deems them impure due to their monthly menstrual cycle.

Chhau goth (menstruation hut) and separate utensils. The Advocacy Project. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Rural villages in western and midwestern Nepal force girls and women to stay in menstruation huts outside of their homes. This centuries-old Hindu practice of chhaupadi (“chaau” means “impure,” and “padi” means “shed”) believes that women and girls are unclean, untouchable and impure during their menstrual cycles. When on their periods, girls and women are not allowed to live in the family home and are excluded from doing a range of everyday activities. Although the practice of chhaupadi was made illegal in 2005, it remains prevalent in remote areas and is still practiced by 77% of Nepalese.

Under the chhaupadi practice, menstruators are banned from touching milk, idols, cattle, a male family member, a pregnant woman or any child below the age of five. In addition, while on their periods, girls and women are not permitted to enter any social gathering, school, temple or kitchen, as they are considered impure. If anything or anyone is touched, it is to be discarded or deeply cleansed. Diet during menstruation changes as well: girls and women are not allowed to eat rice, meat, pickles, citrus fruits or milk products. Meals are further restricted as they do not have access to a kitchen.

While temporarily living in an unhygienic hut which oftentimes have no walls or doors, young girls and women are at risk for snake bites, rape, poor sanitation, urinary tract infections, diarrhea, dehydration, hypothermia and death. If girls encounter any health issues while in their huts, they are expected to wait until their menstruation is completed before seeking medical care. Blocked from using their bathrooms, they are forced to walk long distances to use public restrooms. Their time in the menstruation huts can last anywhere from 4-7 days a month. Each year at least one death occurs in menstruation huts. In December 2016, a 15-year-old suffocated after lighting a fire in the shed where she was staying to keep warm. In 2018, a teenage girl died when she was bitten by a snake while sleeping.

Chhaupadi is not limited to times of menstruation; itt is also practiced during childbirth. Women must deliver their babies in unhygienic sheds or huts, and remain for the next 10-14 days post-delivery. Consequently, chhaupadi during childbirth can lead to both maternal and infant death arising from excessive bleeding, septic shock, malnutrition and other unresolved complications caused by lack of healthcare access. Although exact figures of maternal and child health consequences due to chhaupadi are unknown, neonatal and maternal mortality is high in the far-western regions where chhaupadi is common.

The mental health of women and girls is impacted due to isolation from family and social exclusion, which results in: depression, low self-esteem and disempowerment among girls. In addition, there is also a fear of sexual abuse and assault at night causing extreme anxiety in the young girls. Cases of rape are not reported due to fear that a man would not want to marry a girl in the future as a result of “impurity.” The psychological issues girls and women endure while in the huts go unnoticed and are often ignored. The continuity of the chhaupadi practice is one way of preserving a tradition to the Nepalese people. It has been in existence for a long time with a focus on purity, aimed at pleasing the deities believed to take care of the community.

In August 2017, the Nepalese government began criminalizing the chhaupadi practice and imposed a fine ($30) and/or a three-month jail sentence for anyone forcing a woman to follow the custom. Local police are tasked with destroying chhaupadi shelters. Despite these efforts, the practice has been difficult to abolish as it is deeply rooted in traditional beliefs. Activists argue that the chhaupadi practice will be difficult to fully stop, as many women make the decision to practice it for themselves. However, with the new law, women who choose to practice chhaupadi are required to do so in a safer way, by isolating themselves from their families in a separate area or room and not a shed. This requirement exists to help protect the health and safety of the menstruators whilst allowing them to follow their traditional practice.