Nepal makes first arrest over ‘menstruation huts’ after woman dies
Team Udayavani, Dec 6, 2019, 4:22 PM IST
Kathmandu: Nepali police have detained the brother-in-law of a woman who died in a ‘menstruation hut’ in what is believed to be the first arrest over the outlawed tradition, officials said Friday.
Many communities in Nepal view menstruating women as impure and in some remote areas they are forced to sleep in a hut away from the home, following a centuries-old tradition known as “chhaupadi”.
The practice leads to the death of women every year due to smoke inhalation, snake bites and even attack by animals.
Parbati Buda Rawat, 21, was found dead on Sunday morning in the western Accham district in a smoke-filled hut because of a fire she had lit to keep warm.
“We arrested the brother-in law of the victim yesterday for investigation after suspecting his involvement in forcing the deceased to stay in chhaupadi shed,” local police official Janak Bahadur Shahi told AFP.
“I believe this is the first arrest in such a case.” If convicted, the man will serve a three-month jail sentence and be fined 3,000 rupees (USD 27) under a law introduced last year against anyone caught imposing chhaupadi.
“It is positive to see the police act proactively and it will help discourage people from following the tradition. But there is a long way to go to end it,” said Radha Poudel, an activist working against chhaupadi.
Rawat’s death is at least the third this year. Two more women have died of smoke inhalation in menstruation huts in neighbouring districts.
However, Poudel said that many deaths go unreported and authorities often sympathise with family members in reported cases.
Chhaupadi was outlawed in 2005 but is still enforced in parts of Nepal, particularly in remote and conservative western regions. It is linked to Hinduism and considers women untouchable during menstruation and after childbirth.
Women are banished from the home, barred from touching food, religious icons, cattle and men, and forced to sleep in basic huts known as chhau goth.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
WATCH: 5 runaway military horses cause mayhem in London
Don’t blame Dubai’s freak rain on cloud seeding
Who would lead if US stepped off world stage? asks Biden
Sexual harassment case: HC declines to suspend prison sentence of former TN special DGP
Watch: 2 Malaysian Navy helicopters crash mid-air; 10 onboard killed
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
WATCH: 5 runaway military horses cause mayhem in London
FIR filed over BJP’s social media post allegedly promoting hatred and enmity: EC
Can’t control elections or pass directions on basis of suspicion: SC tells EVM critics
Amitabh Bachchan receives Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Puraskar
Hubballi: Congress leader Randeep Surjewala visits Neha’s house, assures justice to family