Nepal has passed a law criminalising the practice of banishing women to huts during menstruation, known as Chhaupadi. The ancient Hindu tradition, which confines women to animal sheds to keep 'impurity' out of the home, was already banned by the supreme court in 2005 but has persisted in remote western regions.
Under the new law, anyone enforcing the custom faces a three-month jail sentence and a fine of 3,000 Nepalese rupees (about £23). The law is part of a broader bill aimed at improving women's safety, which also includes measures against acid attacks and dowry demands.
The ban will not be enforced immediately. For the next year, authorities will conduct social campaigns to raise awareness. 'For the next year we will conduct social campaigns to tell the people about this new law,' said Krishna Bhakta Pokharel, who headed the parliamentary panel that finalised the bill.
Campaigners have welcomed the legislation but stress that education is needed to change deeply entrenched attitudes. WaterAid's south Asia director, Tom Palakudiyil, said: 'The new law is a positive step... However making Chhaupadi a criminal act on its own may not be enough to prevent women and girls being banished during their menstruation.'
The practice has led to recent deaths. Last month, a 19-year-old girl died from a snake bite after being forced to sleep in a shed, and in December 2016, 15-year-old Roshani Tiruwa suffocated in a poorly ventilated hut. Women isolated during menstruation also face risks of rape, animal attacks, and extreme cold.
