Author: Lucy Schmitt
In Nepal, when a woman (in this case person who identifies as female or has a period) gets their period, their fathers or husband will send them to a Menstruation Hut in a secluded area of the mountains. The whole process is called chhaupadi. Women are removed because of the stigma that touching a woman during their period could cause harm. Periods are thought to be “impure” and “dirty." The huts are usually not well-ventilated or heated, sometimes causing the person in the house to freeze to death or suffocate from carbon monoxide poisoning. One person, in particular, was Parbati Buda Rawat, a 21-year-old who was found dead due to lack of oxygen while her blanket caught fire at night and burned. A trial was held for her brother-in-law, and he was fined 3,000 rupees, only about $30 in USD, and imprisoned for two months. This is a prime example of what many families face. Many believe that the practice of chhaupadi is a form of abuse and stigmatization towards people with periods.
In response to this, in 2017, the Nepali Parlement enacted a law banning these huts and making sending someone to these huts illegal. Still, even with this law, some people find chhaupadi exiles to be a tradition and perpetuate the taboo towards menstruation. In 2018, Government officials trekked to the mountains to physically remove the huts so there would be fewer yearly deaths. After little to no progress was seen, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, the president of Nepal, went to local towns and would touch women on their periods to help demonstrate the lack of basis in the stigma while spreading awareness through schools and the community. By educating and learning about how the reproductive systems work, we can avoid loss and suffering and create a more inclusive society. Luckily, as we move forward, we have organizations that can help further educate and support others, such as the Radha Paudel Foundation, founded by a woman who experienced the huts herself and sought to change how we view menstruation.
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