Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal

The tradition of chhaupadi in the country is based in the belief that a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period -- which in practice has meant they are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites, and unsanitary conditions, but many in remote provinces like Accham still perform the ritual.

© TaraTW - Image from the Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal photography project
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Khagishara BK, 13, sits inside a chhaupadi hut in her village of Lakandra, Achham district, western Nepal, Sunday, March 4, 2018. The tradition of chhaupadi in the country is based in the belief that a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period -- which in practice has meant they are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites and unsanitary conditions, but many in remote provinces like Accham still perform the ritual.

© TaraTW - Image from the Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal photography project
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Girls are seen through a red screen at a marriage ceremony that Krishna Raj Upadhaya, a Hindu priest, not pictured, performs, in Saphne village, Achham district, western Nepal, Saturday, March 3, 2018. Priests are very influential for traditional practices in Nepal, and Upadhaya said that although chhaupadi has changed so that women stay closer to the house, he believes it is important for them to stay separate and outside the home. The tradition of chhaupadi in the country is based in the belief that a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period -- which in practice has meant they are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites and unsanitary conditions, but many in remote provinces like Accham still perform the ritual.

© TaraTW - Image from the Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal photography project
i

Girls and women are seen at a marriage ceremony that Krishna Raj Upadhaya, a Hindu priest, not pictured, performs, in Saphne village, Achham district, western Nepal, Saturday, March 3, 2018. Priests are very influential for traditional practices in Nepal, and Upadhaya said that although chhaupadi has changed so that women stay closer to the house, he believes it is important for them to stay separate and outside the home. The tradition of chhaupadi in the country believes a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period, and means women are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This practice has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites and unsanitary conditions, but many in this remote province still perform the ritual.

© TaraTW - Image from the Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal photography project
i

Dhanakala Kumal, 40, who had her period, sits outside her family's chhaupadi hut in the Radikot village, Achham district, western Nepal, Saturday, March 3, 2018. Kumal said she would go inside the house if she could but there is no room, and no money to create an extra room. Radikot village is nearby Bhageshwor 5, which is chhaupadi-free but yet most women in this village still adhere to the tradition even though two women have died from the practice in that area. Dharma Raja Kadayat, who lives in the area has declared his home chhaupadi-free and gets a lot of pushback from the community. The tradition of chhaupadi in the country is based in the belief that a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period -- which in practice has meant they are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites and unsanitary conditions, but many in remote provinces like Accham still perform the ritual.

© TaraTW - Image from the Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal photography project
i

Lakshmi Saud, 19, center, watches as her daughter Alisha, 3, plays with Mathura Saud, 40, right, and another woman, Kokila Saud, 45, sits nearby as they stay inside a chhaupadi hut, in the Dhungani village, outside of the city of Mungelsen, Achham district, western Nepal, Thursday, March 1, 2018. The three women had their periods and were staying in the hut. Lakshmi's daughter had been burned by a fire in their home recently and she was constantly putting salve on her hand inside the hut and trying to keep her away from the fire. The tradition of chhaupadi in the country is based in the belief that a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period -- which in practice has meant they are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites and unsanitary conditions, but many in remote provinces like Accham still perform the ritual.

© TaraTW - Image from the Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal photography project
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Kusum Thapa, 17, who is in grade 10 and had her period, looks at her phone as she lies inside her family's chhaupadi hut, in the Dhungani village, outside of the city of Mungelsen, Achham district, western Nepal, Friday, March 2, 2018. The tradition of chhaupadi in the country is based in the belief that a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period -- which in practice has meant they are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites and unsanitary conditions, but many in remote provinces like Accham still perform the ritual.

© TaraTW - Image from the Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal photography project
i

Mangali Devi Budha, 43, poses for a photo in front of her house, in Bhairavsthan village, Achham district, western Nepal, Sunday, March 4, 2018. Budha's daughter-in-law Gauri Kumari, died last year in a chhaupadi hut behind their house. The tradition of chhaupadi in the country is based in the belief that a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period -- which in practice has meant they are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites and unsanitary conditions, but many in remote provinces like Accham still perform the ritual.

© TaraTW - Image from the Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal photography project
i

Kusum Thapa, 17, who is in grade 10 and had her period, tends to a fire inside her family's chhaupadi hut, in the Dhungani village, outside of the city of Mungelsen, Achham district, western Nepal, Friday, March 2, 2018. The tradition of chhaupadi in the country is based in the belief that a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period -- which in practice has meant they are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites and unsanitary conditions, but many in remote provinces like Accham still perform the ritual.

© TaraTW - Image from the Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal photography project
i

Haikala Rawal, 31, who had her period and was staying in her own room while she menstruated is seen inside her house, in Bhageshwor 5 village, Achham district, western Nepal, Friday, March 2, 2018. Women in the village who have their periods stay inside their homes, but sometimes stay in separate rooms. Bohara also helped create a fence around a nearby temple that used to prevent her from going to school when she had her period, as it is believed women who are menstruating can't go near holy places. The tradition of chhaupadi in the country is based in the belief that a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period -- which in practice has meant they are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites and unsanitary conditions, but many in remote provinces like Accham still perform the ritual.

© TaraTW - Image from the Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal photography project
i

Chetana Kadayat, 16, who had her period, washes her clothes at a separate water source from the rest of the village, which she does on the fourth day of her cycle, in Radikot village, Achham district, western Nepal, Saturday, March 3, 2018. Chetana's village is nearby Bhageshwor 5, which is chhaupadi-free but yet most women in her village still adhere to the tradition even though two women have died from the practice in that area. Chetana's uncle Dharma Raja Kadayat, who lives behind her house has declared his home chhaupadi-free and gets a lot of pushback from the community. The tradition of chhaupadi in the country is based in the belief that a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period -- which in practice has meant they are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites and unsanitary conditions, but many in remote provinces like Accham still perform the ritual.

© TaraTW - Image from the Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal photography project
i

Mansara Nepali, 35, stands near her family's chhaupadi hut as she waits for a relative to bring her food, after sunset in the village of Pali, Dailekh district, western Nepal, Monday, March 5, 2018. Nepali helped make the hut with her sister and didn't have enough money for more supplies, or to make a proper structure. The hut also doesn't have a door so the animals frequently went inside, and another relative had to move them out as she wasn't allowed to touch them while she had her period. The tradition of chhaupadi in the country is based in the belief that a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period -- which in practice has meant they are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites and unsanitary conditions, but many in remote provinces like Accham still perform the ritual.

© TaraTW - Image from the Chhaupadi - the outlawed practice still hurting women in Nepal photography project
i

Mathura Saud, 40, is seen after sunset inside a chhaupadi hut, in the Dhungani village, outside of the city of Mungelsen, Achham district, western Nepal, Thursday, March 1, 2018. There are three women who were in the hut and had their periods. The tradition of chhaupadi in the country is based in the belief that a woman is impure and brings evil spirits into the home during her period -- which in practice has meant they are supposed to stay in small huts or animal sheds during their menstruation cycle. This has been outlawed in Nepal in the last year due to women dying of smoke inhalation, snake bites and unsanitary conditions, but many in remote provinces like Accham still perform the ritual.

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