A 16-year-old girl in Nepal has died after she was banished to a shed because she was on her period.
A “chhaupadi house” in the village of Achham, some 800kms west of Kathmandu photographed on November 23, 2011. (PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)
Anita Chand died in Baitadi district on Wednesday Aug. 9 after she was bitten by a snake when she was sleeping in the shed.
The practice, known as chhaupadi, originates from a Hindu superstition that periods carry a curse and girls and women become “impure” when they are menstruating.
Pashupati Kuwuar gestures towards a “chhaupadi house” in the village of Achham, some 800kms west of Kathmandu on November 23, 2011. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)
As a result, during their periods, women and girls are banned from participating in daily activities and banished to a “period hut” outside of the house, where they must stay for the duration.
Nepalese woman Yum Kumari Giri looks at a Chhaupadi hut during her menstruation period in Surkhet District, some 520km west of Kathmandu. (Photo credit should read PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)
They are expected to survive on meager diets because of the belief that they would curse any animals or plants they interact with.
Nepalese women Pabitra Giri (L) and Yum Kumari Giri (R) prepare to have dinner outside their house during their menstruation period. (Photo credit should read PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)
Suntali Devi Saud, who practices Chaupadi, washes her clothes in Achham District in western Nepal. Picture taken February 16, 2014. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar (NEPAL – Tags: SOCIETY)
Women who just gave birth are also considered “impure” and banished as part of the practice.
Thirteen year old Nepalese villager Sarswati Biswo-Karma sits inside a “chhaupadi house”. (Photo by Prakash MATHEMA / AFP) (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)
Chhaupadi was outlawed in Nepal in 2005 but still happens in rural towns due to social pressure and stigma around women’s health.
Dhuna Devi Saud sits outside her house while practicing Chaupadi in the hills of Legudsen village in Achham District in western Nepal. Picture taken February 16, 2014. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar (NEPAL – Tags: SOCIETY)
Chand is the first reported death from chhaupadi since 2019, when a 21-year-old woman suffocated to death after she lit a fire to stay warm in the stone hut.
Nepalese women Pabitra Giri (L) and Yum Kumari Giri (R) sit by a fire as they live in a Chhaupadi hut during their menstruation period in Surkhet District (Photo credit should read PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)
This is one of the most common causes of death from chhaupadi, as the huts usually lack proper windows and doors, leading to poor ventilation and people inhaling the smoke from lighting fires.
Dhuna Devi Saud prepares to sleep inside a Chaupadi shed in the hills of Legudsen village in Achham District in western Nepal Picture taken February 16, 2014. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar (NEPAL – Tags: SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
The huts – usually made of wood or stone – are poorly constructed, leaving people vulnerable to snakes, wild animals and potentially life-threatening weather conditions.
Nepalese women Pabitra Giri (top) and Yum Kumari Giri look on from a Chhaupadi hut during their menstruation period in Surkhet District. (Photo credit should read PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP via Getty Images)
Local police are now investigating Chand’s death, although her family have denied that Chand was on her period when she died.
Jamuna Devi Saud, 45, sits outside her house while practicing Chaupadi in the hills of Legudsen village in Achham District in western Nepal. Picture taken February 16, 2014. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar (NEPAL – Tags: SOCIETY)
