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90 pc women in Kalikot are sufferers of Chhaupadi taboo
Ninety percent women in Kalikot district practice Chhaupadi, the tradition where women live in seclusion avoiding contacts with the community during menstruation.bookmark
Tularam Pandey
Published at : February 12, 2014
Updated at : February 12, 2014 08:53
Kalikot
Ninety percent women in Kalikot district practice Chhaupadi, the tradition where women live in seclusion avoiding contacts with the community during menstruation, a recent study has said.
According to the findings of a recent assessment for intervention carried out by the District Development Committee, even the educated women and those in the health and teaching professions are following the tradition based on superstition that not only discriminates women but also put their health and life in danger.
Samjhana Adhikari, the acting chief of District Women and Children Office, said the practice is most prevalent in the far-flung villages of Kailali.
Adhikari, who was also the member of the study team, said she had to lie about her period on many occasions in the past to get permission to spend a night in village homes during her field visits.
“If you are a woman and menstruating, the villagers won’t allow you to come near them because they consider you impure. You will be forced to spend outside the house, usually in a makeshift shed without proper bedding and meal,” Adhikari said.
Women leader Bijaya Bista said a young girl who has had her first period is kept in seclusion by their parents for at least five days.
“She is not allowed to consume any dairy product during that period. The rules are strict if the family happens to be overly religious,” she said, adding that at least 95 percent women in a village spend days in Chhaupadi sheds during menstruation.
Women have to deal with various problems while observing Chhaupadi. Besides health concerns, women area also exposed to the danger of being raped. The records at the District Police Office show that four of the seven rape incidents in the district took place in Chhaupadi sheds.
Local Development Officer Pushparaj Shahi said the finding was quite dispiriting and calls for an urgent and comprehensive intervention measures.
“We need to launch public awareness campaigns and impart trainings on behavioural change to rid of this odious practice,” he said.
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