Shunned during her periods to a 'menstruation hut', teenager dies of snakebite

(Representational image)

New Delhi: While women across the world are breaking stereotypes about the natural process of menstruation and bleeding, there are still many countries that have a long way to go.

Menstruation in such places is perceived as 'impure' and 'taboo' and there are numerous social stigmas attached to when a girl is going through 'that time of the month'. Yes. People in these places don't even say the word 'periods' out loud.

Unfortunately, an incident in Nepal may just bring out the superstitions and stigmas attached to menstruation to the fore to make people aware of how they affect women.

Reports tell the story of an 18-year-old girl who was sent to stay in her Uncle's hut whenever she was on her period.

She was made to sleep on wooden boards laid on the ground, in keeping with a tradition known as 'chhaupadi' that sequesters menstruating women from their families.

On Thursday night, however, Tulasi Shahi was bitten by a poisonous snake. Neither a shaman, nor a health clinic could offer a proper treatment, resulting in the girl's death on Friday morning.

Her bereaved family blames the superstitions that menstruation accompanies.

According to The New York Times, the Supreme Court of Nepal ordered an end to chhaupadi, which is linked to Hinduism, in 2005. But it is still practiced in many of Nepal’s isolated villages, particularly in the west. A bill is pending in Parliament to formally criminalize the practice.

Many people in rural villages believe that menstruating women are impure and can bring bad luck on a household. Under the chhaupadi tradition, the women are kept from taking part in normal family activities and social gatherings or from entering houses, kitchens and temples.