Chhaupadi

Chhaupadi (Nepali: छाउपडी [t͡sʰau̯pʌɽi] ⓘ) is a form of menstrual taboo which prohibits women and girls from participating in normal family activities while menstruating, as they are considered "impure".

During chhaupadi, women are banned from the house and are made to live in a cattle shed (mainly in the western region of the country), or a makeshift dwelling known as a menstruation hut, for the duration of their period.

[5] Menstruating women and girls are required to remain isolated from their family, and are forbidden from entering homes, kitchens, schools, and temples.

Menstruating women are also restricted from participating in family, religious or social functions, such as attending the temple or going to weddings, and girls are prevented from going to school.

[4] Women who are menstruating are barred from consuming milk, yogurt, butter, meat, and other nutritious foods, for fear that their impurity will cause cows to become ill.

Menstruating women are also barred from using community water sources or performing daily functions like bathing or washing clothing.

Huts are often poorly constructed and lack heat or ventilation, leaving women exposed to the elements as well as extreme temperatures during different times of year.

[10][11][12] In addition, a study by Ranabhat et al. of women aged 12–49 in the Bardiya and Kailali provinces of Nepal showed that the practice of chhaupadi is significantly correlated with reproductive health problems such as dysuria and genital itching.

[26] Sangita Rokaya, a 26 year old Nepali woman climbed Mount Everest to spread awareness about this practice, and to give a voice to the "women and girls unable to speak up" over harmful menstrual taboos in Nepal.

[citation needed] The Supreme Court of Nepal issued an order on 19 Baisakh 2062 to declare chhaupdi as a crime and make necessary guidelines to put an end to this custom.

[28] In 2017, Nepal passed a law punishing people who force women into exile during menstruating with up to three months in jail or a fine of 3,000 Nepalese rupees.