Teenage girl dies after being forced to stay in a 'period hut' in Nepal

Source: The Guardian

Teenage girl dies after being forced to stay in a ‘period hut’ in Nepal

Campaigners say efforts to stamp out custom of banishing girls and women during menstruation have been set back by Covid

Rojita Adhikari in Kathmandu
Fri 11 Aug 2023 07.00 BST
Last modified on Fri 11 Aug 2023 12.39 BST

A 16-year-old girl from Nepal has died as a result of the illegal practice of chhaupadi, where menstruating women are forced to stay in huts outside their homes.

Anita Chand, from Baitadi district, in the west of the country, bordering India, is understood to have died on Wednesday from a snake bite while she was sleeping. Her death is the first reported fatality from chhaupadi since 2019 and campaigners fear progress to eliminate the practice is being eroded.

Chhaupadi is based on the centuries-old belief that women and girls are unclean and untouchable during menstruation. They are not allowed to do a range of activities and in some cases are banished to “period huts” for the duration. The practice, which has links to Hinduism, is deeply embedded in western Nepal.

Outlawed in 2005, chhaupadi is punishable by up to three months in prison and a 3,000 Nepali rupee (£20) fine. Baitadi district police have said they are investigating Anita’s death. Her family have denied she was on her period when she died.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/aug/11/teenage-girl-dies-after-being-forced-to-stay-in-a-period-hut-in-nepal

Non-walled link: https://archive.li/TWNCX