Achham district in far-western Nepal, recently passed away during her stay in a cowshed under a notorious practice called ‘Chhaupadi’, which translates to “an untouchable being”. This is a deeply entrenched social tradition in which women are banished for at least five days to a cattle shed or a makeshift hut during menstruation or right after childbirth as they are deemed ‘’impure’’. It is a common practice in some villages in western Nepal, and this not the first instance that a woman has died because of it. At least eight women have lost their lives in Achham while practising Chhaupadi since 2007. Women compelled to practise Chhaupadi face both physical and mental hardships. According to tradition, women cannot enter kitchens and temples during their monthly periods. They also cannot touch other people, cattle or plants. And disobeying the diktat can bring various punishments. Such discrimination leaves girls and women feeling humiliated. Moreover, women relegated to cattle sheds have to live under very basic, unhygienic and exposed conditions. There are reports of Chhaupadi leading to diseases, attacks from wild animals, incidents of abuse and rape, and high infant and maternal mortality rates, as both mother and baby are exiled to the shed after birth. While Chhaupadi is an extreme form, taboos surrounding menstruation are not only limited to rural Nepal. Menstrual blood is considered ‘’impure’’ even in the urban areas among the educated class. Many urban women do not enter the kitchen or the place of worship during their periods. Ironically, they and their family are fine with buying goods at supermarkets or eating at restaurants where many of the employees are women, who work even when they are menstruating. - See more at: http://www.lightnepalvdo.com/videos/achham-district-in-far-western-nepal/#sthash.y79xlZkl.dpuf
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