Chaupadi

According to tradition, women and girls who have menstruation are considered “unclean” and contact with them is fraught with adversity. Violators of the taboo allegedly expect natural disasters, livestock loss, grain failures and even the death of relatives. According to the beliefs and taboos rooted in Hinduism, a woman during menstruation should not touch other people, as well as cows, vegetables, fruits and even trees, otherwise they will no longer bear fruit, they should not drink milk, otherwise the cow will stop bringing it, it should not be consumed dairy products, it cannot be milked buffaloes and cows, you can not read a book, otherwise it can cause the wrath of the goddess of wisdom and knowledge Saraswati . Thus, in order to avoid misfortunes in the family and the village, women are subject to temporary expulsion from their home. During menstruation, women are strictly forbidden to visit Hindu temples and shrines, participate in family celebrations, puja , religious processions and holidays, use common utensils and other kitchen utensils, enter the kitchen, wash in rivers and draw water from public wells ^{[1] [5 ] [6] [12] [13]} .

The vast majority of women who observe the Chhupadi tradition are forced to huddle monthly in “Chhupadi Goth” or abbreviated “Chhaughth” - small earthen barns, cattle sheds near the house or in separate windowless cabins located in the forest or mountains. Only a few women can stay in the family home, in a separate room known as the “bayhak”. Expelled women usually sleep in unsanitary conditions right on the dirt floor, hiding with a thin blanket, bathe and wash things only in a special stream or pond outside the village. Usually married women are expelled from their homes for several days (up to five), while unmarried women can be in forced isolation for up to a week. Girls who have experienced menstruation for the first time are isolated for 14 days ^{[1] [14] [15] [16]} .

The religious ban on reading books and writing leads to the fact that girls who begin menstruation more often miss school or college, which only increases the existing gap between them and young men in education, and further leads to significant discrimination in employment by gender. feature ^[1] .

Some chaupadi prohibitions also apply to women who have given birth, since childbirth is accompanied by bleeding and is also considered “unclean” (in Nepal, 89% of women give birth at home, almost 60% give birth without doctors, only in the presence of relatives) ^{[1] [17]} . After childbirth, the brahmans perform “cleansing” rituals in the homes of pregnant women.

In May 2005, the Supreme Court of Nepal prohibited the implementation of the ch'upadi custom. In August 2017, the country's parliament recognized chhupadi as a criminal tradition and criminalized it. From now on, anyone who forces a woman to "menstrual expulsion" can be imprisoned for three months or sentenced to a large fine. However, in rural areas, the majority of the population continues to follow traditions and practice “menstrual expulsion”. In western Nepal, no one was ever accused of being forced to chhupadi ^{[5] [18] [19] [20]} . However, the ban Chhaupadi has stepped up the work of non-governmental organizations that carry out explanatory work among women, teachers and doctors, protect the rights of adolescents and women, and seek to build separate toilets for girls in schools ^[1] .

During exile, women, as well as their small children, following their mother, often put their health at risk. Women are often ill, do not follow the rules of hygiene, are deprived of elementary access to clean water, they are given less food (the diet is limited to cakes with salt) and generally do not give milk and ghee , often they are attacked by snakes, scorpions and wild animals. In winter, exiles live in tiny huts and can get poisoned by carbon monoxide in poorly ventilated rooms. Poor nutrition and heavy physical labor only exacerbate existing diseases. Many chaupadi women have experienced feelings of guilt, humiliation, sadness, and depression. During exile, a woman may die from illness and blood loss, as her relatives, for fear of being “defiled”, will not take her to the hospital. Also isolated from the family, women are often sexually abused by drunken men ^{[5] [6] [11] [12] [21] [22] [23] [24]} .

In the Achham region , the custom is known as chaupadi , in the regions of Dadeldhur , Baitadi , and Darchula - as chhui or bakhirhunu , in the Bajhang region - as chaukulla or chaukudi ^[1] .

• Chhaupadi practice in Nepal - analysis of ethical aspects