Cruel ritual in Nepal: girls die because they have their period
Child marriage, genital mutilation, breast ironing, stoning: The list of cruel misogynist traditions in the world is long. After the death of a 15-year-old Nepalese, the archaic tradition of the Chhaupadi comes to light.
Menstruation as a bad curse
Hindu women in western Nepal are often banished to tiny mud huts or cattle sheds during their period. During their menstruation, they are considered unclean - their period is considered a curse that brings disease, death and catastrophes to humans. The ritual starts with the first bleeding.
Banishment in terrible conditions
During this time, women are forbidden to come home for about seven days and even touch a man or family member. They are fed very sparsely, often get only a small carpet to warm. The same fate many mothers suffer after the birth of their children.
Again and again women die during their banishment because they are bitten by poisonous snakes or other animals. Others are raped because they are helpless and vulnerable to the men of the village.
The tradition is forbidden in Nepal, but ...
The tradition of? Chhaupadi? was banned in 2005 by the Supreme Court in Nepal? but the centuries-old custom persists. Now 15-year-old Roshani Tiruwa from the village of Gajra has died. In order not to freeze, she had turned on a fire. Presumably, she died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Chhaupadi is also practiced in parts of India and Bangladesh. Human rights organizations have long opposed the practice of isolation. And they demand harsh sentences against those who offend girls and women because of their menstruation.
