Woman kept in isolation for menstruating dies in Nepal

Jan 17, 2012, 15:19 GMT

Kathmandu - A woman who was confined to a cowshed because she was menstruating, in keeping with a long-held Hindu practice, died Tuesday in the far-western region of Nepal, Kantipur Television reported.

Munadevi Shahi, 28, died in the cowshed that she had been living in for the past five days, the report said.

According to the police, she died because of the extreme cold, as temperatures have dipped steadily in Nepal in the past two weeks with heavy snow and rainfall across the country.

The tradition of chaupadi is widespread in the impoverished far-western regions of the country, and women are considered impure during their menstruation cycle.

During this time, they are made to stay in a separate hut or cattle shed and cannot take part in many daily household activities. They are forbidden from entering houses, kitchens and temples.

They cannot touch other people, cattle, green vegetables and plants, or fruits. They also cannot milk cattle, and have limited access to taps and wells.

The conditions of deprivation that these women and girls live in take a toll on their health, with increasing cases of dehydration, diarrohea, pneumonia and respiratory diseases, the United Nations said. Many die of exposure, although exact statistics are not available.

Apart from exposure, many women die of bites from snakes or scorpions, or even animal attacks in the isolated sheds.

In May 2005, Nepal's Supreme Court outlawed chaupadi and ordered the government to formulate laws eliminating the practice. Three years later, the Ministry of Women, Child and Social Welfare drew up guidelines to eradicate the practice, but these are rarely followed.