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“Chaupadi: Continuing Gender Inequality in Nepal” by Tracy

As late as July of this year, women deemed “impure” have been killed while segregated from the general population. The latest victim was named Tulasi Shahi and she was 19 years old when she died from a snake bite that she received while participating in a ritual known as chaupaudi. This occurrence has once again brought the issue of gender inequality and women’s empowerment to the forefront of the worldview.

Nepal is located between India and China in Southwest Asia.

According to the U.N. report, “Chaupadi is a long held and widespread practice in the Far and Mid Western Regions of Nepal among all castes and groups of Hindus. According to the practice, women are considered ‘impure’ during their menstruation cycle, and are subsequently separated from others in many spheres of normal, daily life.” During the course of this ritual, they are not allowed to perform household duties, touch plants, animals, or people, and they have a restricted diet. Many young girls are also not allowed to participate in school because they are deemed too impure to touch paper and books.

“Menstruation huts,” where women are ostracized from the community during the ritual, have limited sanitation and protection for women. The inhabitants are deprived of water, which leads to dehydration and lack of bathing. Most hospitals in Nepal are ill equipped to handle basic health problems that occur because of this environment. For example, Tulasi Shahi died from the snake’s venom because the hospital did not have any antidote on hand. Other girls have died from dehydration and diarrhea caused by the unsanitary and exposed conditions of the sheds. Reports also indicate that some  have died from fires and exposure. Most of these health issues could be handled by equipped hospitals, but the lack of concern towards the health of these women and the lack of development in Nepal, lead to the unnecessary death of these women and girls. Some women are even forced to give birth in the same conditions that are found in these sheds. They are not allowed to go to the hospital or to see a doctor, instead they deliver at home with women relatives to assist.

This is an example of a menstruation hut.

These huts also go largely unprotected. It is an untold truth that rape is a frequent occurrence towards the women in these huts, but the crime goes largely unreported because it is the women who would bear society’s disapproval for the rape.

The government of Nepal has outlawed the practice of chaupadi, but according to the CNN article on the death, Radha Paudel says,  "What the government has put out is just a guideline. No one can report to police, no one can file a case ... you cannot punish anyone for sending their girls and wives to these huts." Nepal has recently seen many women take office in government. This begs the question of why these women, who have been given power over all citizens and entrusted with their safety, have not fought for a change in the punishment of individuals who continue this practice?

The tradition of chaupadi is just a symptom of the larger system of gender inequality in the region. Girls who live in parts of Nepal are expected to marry at a young age. They are not allowed to receive the same education and the country has a low literacy rate for women due to this belief. The issue of gender inequality and rituals like chaupaudi are evident in Nepal, but they are also prevalent elsewhere in the world. Another example would be how men view women’s education and attire in parts of Southeast Asia.

As long as these types of cultural norms continue for these women, the plight of all women is at stake. Can there truly be equality in any part of the world if there is continuing degradation of women in other parts of the world due to biology? There are multiple groups in Nepal and surrounding regions that advocate for the end of practices like chaupaudi and for gender equality, but these are regional groups have limited access to funds and influence. For these groups to become more capable of change, they need to make the issue of chaupaudi and other similar practices more well known to the world. They need to reach out to women in other areas, maintaining that any incident of gender inequality towards women, is an issue for all women, thus an issue for the whole world.

Works Cited

Pokharel, Sugam, and James Griffiths. "Nepal: 15-year-old Girl Dies in 'menstruation Hut'."CNN. Cable

News Network, 22 Dec. 2016. Web. 18 July 2017.

Pokharel, Sugam. "Nepali 'menstruation Hut' Ritual Claims Life of Teenage Girl." CNN. Cable News

Network, 12 July 2017. Web. 18 July 2017.

United Nations. Chaupadi In The Far-West. Pulchowk: United Nations Resident and Humanitarian

Coordinator’s Office, Apr. 2011. PDF.