Nepali chaupadi: A Human Rights Case Study

Nepali chaupadi: A Human Rights Case Study
By: Ifra Iyoob
Introduction:
Over 15 million women live in Nepal. And every month, they are subjected to chaupadi: a practice of banishing girls to desolate huts or sheds for the duration of their period. This stems from the belief that otherwise, they will bring bad luck or ill health. Around 77% of west-central Nepali girls and young women are forced into the practice despite the Nepali government "banning" the practice in 2005.
This ancient ritual is a fundamental violation of Nepali women's rights, of women's rights, of human rights. It undermines their dignity, health, education, and equality, all of which are protected under international human rights law. This article serves to detail the horrors of chaupadi.
Dehumanization:
While menstruating, Nepali women are consistently debased and thought of as sub-human, exacerbating the already ever present gender inequality there. This dehumanization violates their inherent dignity and equality, fundamental liberties enshrined in documents like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In the case that isolation in huts is not followed, other chaupadi-related practices are still executed. Close family members, including mothers, fathers, and siblings, will still refuse to touch their menstruating female youth. Moreover, these women will still be forbidden from entering rooms like the kitchen and washroom and prohibited from touching food or water out of fear of "contamination".
Experiencing any of this on a monthly basis ingrains within the minds of young girls that they are "dirty" or "untouchable". It devalues their sense of self and grossly mischaracterizes a healthy and normal biological process that is out of their control. Simply, chaupadi dehumanizes women and distorts their self perception.
Denial of Education:
As mentioned previously, Nepali women are shamed and isolated in chaupaddi huts. During this time, women are also forbidden from attending school. This compounds month after month, worsening the mere 57.4% female literacy rate. At some point, girls fall so behind that they drop out of school entirely. This figure reached over 815,000 for just upper secondary school in 2022.
Health Impacts:
Women who have experienced chaupadi have also reported negative effects on their health. Because of the unhygienic and dilapidated state of these huts, many of which were originally intended for animals, women contract various physical ailments like reproductive tract infections, genitourinary tract infections, and cervical cancer. Moreover, these women suffer from mental conditions like depression and anxiety, which makes perfect sense considering the utter isolation and dehumanization they face. In this way, these women are denied their right to health, as is recognized by international human rights treaties.
Beyond this, because of the poor safety offered by chaupadi huts, women have suffered due to additional outside factors. For instance, cases of sexual abuse, rape, snake and scorpion bites, attacks from wild animals, and suffocation due to lack of ventilation have all been reported in mass. What is more, several women die every year because of freezing temperatures and smoke inhalation from accidental fires.
Taking Action:
So what can be done at the individual level? Advocating for proper reproductive education and how we approach the conversation of menstruation are steps in the right direction. Whether it be implementing a standard menstrual curriculum in a nearby school district or freely discussing periods, every action taken against the stigma surrounding menstruation is a push towards total menstrual equity and eventually, gender equality. Advocacy and education are essential in ensuring that women's rights to dignity, education, and health are upheld and eternalized.
Women are humans and as humans, they deserve to be treated as such.
References:
Acharya, D., Adhikari, R., Kreps, G. L., Gautam, K., Dhakal, K. P., Raikhola, P. S., & Bhattarai, R. (2020). Educational status of female youth in Nepal: a foundation for health and well-being. Where should programmes focus? South Asian Survey, 27(1), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0971523120907207
Dahal, T., Topping, K., & Levy, S. (2019). Educational factors influencing female students' dropout from high schools in Nepal. International Journal of Educational Research, 98, 67–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2019.08.010
Oostrum, J., Waltham, M., UNICEF Nepal Country Office, UNICEF's South Asia Regional Office, Education team in the Data and Analytics section, Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring, UNICEF Headquarters, Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange, International Development Research Centre, Canada, & Armen Antonyan. (2022). Analyses for learning and equity using MICS data. https://data.unicef.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Nepal_factsheet_Mar_2023.pdf
Robinson, H. (2015). Chaupadi: The affliction of menses in Nepal. International Journal of Women's Dermatology, 1(4), 193–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijwd.2015.10.002
Sharma, A., McCall-Hosenfeld, J. S., & Cuffee, Y. (2022). Systematic review of menstrual health and hygiene in Nepal employing a social ecological model. Reproductive Health, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-022-01456-0
Thakuri, D. S., Thapa, R. K., Singh, S., Khanal, G. N., & Khatri, R. B. (2021). A harmful religio-cultural practice (Chhaupadi) during menstruation among adolescent girls in Nepal: Prevalence and policies for eradication. PloS One, 16(9), e0256968. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256968
Vaughn, E. (2019, December 17). Menstrual huts are illegal in Nepal. so why are women still dying in them? NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/12/17/787808530/menstrual-huts-are-illegal-in-nepal-so-why-are-women-still-dying-in-them#:~:text=Several%20women%20are%20killed%20every,but%20while%20sleeping%20in%20the