Women are never impure

 

Story line

She was 13 when she got her first period. Being the only sister in the family, she didn’t know whom to tell and what to do.  She finally had enough courage to go tell her mom. With the fear of something bad happening to her family, she was immediately sent to the shed.  She was terrified as there was no room for her in the shed. Amidst the cold winter, she ate rice with sugar as she froze in the cold while her family ate warm food in the house.  She wasn’t allowed to go anywhere or touch anyone for 10 days. She was discriminated and humiliated when she got her period as she was considered “impure”. She slept next to a goat at night to keep herself warm. She couldn’t feel the warmth as she was forbidden to see the sun.

Above story is just an example from amongst plethora of many such examples. Various accidents and unwanted events happen because of malpractices to address the menstruation period. Parbati Buda Rawat, 21, was found dead in a menstruation hut, apparently because of smoke inhalation , after her blanket caught fire while she slept. Several women die every year in Nepal because of chhaupadi, the practice of exiling women from their homes sheds during menstruation because they are believed to be "unclean." Exact numbers cannot be obtained, as many cases and injuries go unreported, but while sleeping in the huts,women are at risks of snake bites, physical assault, freezing temperatures and suffocation because of lack of ventilation. Many women face the danger of sexual assault or rape; some even get attacked or killed by wild animals while staying in chhaupadi. During winter seasons, female often lose their life as they can't handle the extreme climate. 

Why such ill practices? 

In Nepal, when girls get their period for the first time, they are not allowed to be exposed to the sun. They are not allowed to see any men when they're menstruating. They cannot go to temples because they are considered "impure". Due to misconceptions about religion, it is believed that God will curse a menstruating woman who uses river water or a public tap, or touches a priest, religious books, flowers which are considered holy in Hinduism. They can't touch or water the plants because they won't grow. They are forbidden from eating meat, milk products, fruits and vegetables as they will contaminate the food source. 

 Illness and death in the family will occur if women don’t stay in the shed while menstruating. Some of the girls in the Himalayan region are banned from their house and are made to live in a cattle shed. Chhaupadi is a form of menstrual taboo which prohibits Hindu women and girls from participating in normal family activities while menstruating, as they are considered "impure". They refer menstruation as "nachune bhako" (untouchable phase) . After their periods is over they should sprinkle some "sun pani" (gold water) then voila them "suddha" (pure).  Hindu scriptures state that while menstruating, women are highly infectious and spread viruses through their mouth, marking them as dangerous, as such strict rules prevail. These huts, apart from being dirty, dark and small, hardly ever give adequate shelter against wild animals, rape or the cold. Many female lose their life due to unsatisfactory actions, unhygienic practice, etc.

Most of the girls also face psychological problems. Misinformation about menstruation causes them to escalate the fear. Beside, all these practice to abstain from going to school also hampers the education of the girls. Many young girls are detained from going to school during their periods. If girls miss four to six days worth of classes every month, how will they take their studies further? This will affect the chances of them competing with the male students.

The minimum price of a packet sanitary napkin is Rs. 60 which is not affordable to many women in the rural area. To replace sanitary pad, women in rural areas use things like mud, old rags, dried cow dung cakes, wood husk,a piece of cloth and even ash to contain menstrual blood. Not only are these things dangerous to the health, but they are also inconvenient to use and hinder day to day activity of women who use them. Cultural beliefs that render menstruation as a dirty phase in women’s lives have long deprived women access to proper menstrual hygiene management. If hygienic practices are not followed during menstruation like changing pads or tampons four times a day, washing and drying out reusable sanitary towels properly in the sun and washing hands after handling used sanitary pads; then the chances of getting Urogenital Tract Infection increases and Candidiasis (a yeast infection).Dangerous bacteria can also invade the genital tract and can cause Reproductive Tract Infection. 

 

What is the remedy?

I think most of these are prevalent because people have incomplete/mis information about what menstruation is. A natural biological process, menstruation, or period, is normal vaginal bleeding that occurs as part of a woman's monthly cycle. Every month, our body prepares for pregnancy. If no pregnancy occurs, the uterus, or womb, sheds its lining. The menstrual blood is partly blood and partly tissue from inside the uterus. Many women get cramps or other symptoms during their periods that may be uncomfortable. This is due to the hormones our body releases during menstruation that cause the uterus to contract so it can shed its lining. During this phase, women can experience headaches, swelling and weight gain. On average menstruation starts at age 12 and ends at age 52. Awareness about menstruation helps to drive out most of the problems related to menstruation.

 

In such times, the young girls seek for the support and love of the family members rather than to be locked in a shed. It is also appropriate to provide proper knowledge about nutritious and hygienic foods to keep body immune against any types of health hazards. Similarly to ensure proper hygiene during the period, government should reduce the price of sanitary napkins and tampons. This will increase the reach of the poor women to such healthy habits and will encourage them to use them.  The sanitary napkins should be easily accessible even in rural areas of the country. 

Raising public awareness involves creating a positive messaging campaign about safe menstruation.Government should also ensure that stringent laws are implemented to discourage people to practice chhaupadi. Actually, it was banned by law in 2005 but is still commonly practiced in the mid and western regions of Nepal. Instead of chaupadi house, government can develop subsidized housing with better amenities for menstruating women. The country should be free of superstitions beliefs that humiliate females. We need to help people change their mindset and make them understand that female is never impure and dirty.