21-Year-Old Woman in Nepal Dies After Spending Night in ‘Menstrual Hut’Top Stories

February 05, 2019 15:23
21-Year-Old Woman in Nepal Dies After Spending Night in ‘Menstrual Hut’

(Image source from: The New York Times)

A woman in Nepal died after spending a night in the menstrual hut, despite its government such constructions as a criminal practice. This is the second such incident being in Nepal in the last month.

According to reports, the 21-year-old Parvati died due to suffocation after she lit a fire to stay warm as she had to spend a night in a windowless hut. The women still in most parts of the country are considered untouchable during menstruation.

The incident took place in Nepal's remote Doti district on January 31 when Parvati was sleeping alone in a sheltered hut as she was on her menstruation.

When Parvati did not wake up at her usual time the next morning, her mother-in-law Laxmi Bogati went to the hut to check on her but found her limp body, the Kathmandu Post reported.

"She (Parvati) was excited about the next day as her menstruation would end. Poor child closed her eyes forever," said Laxmi.

She said that Parvati took shelter in an abandoned house nearby as the regular menstrual hut she used to go to was crowded that day as three other women from the village were there to spend the night as well.

The rural municipality's Chairman Dirgha Bogati confirmed that prima facie Parwati’s death seemed to be due to suffocation. "Police took the body for a post-mortem on the same evening," he said.

Many Hindu communities in Nepal as part of old traditions consider women during menstrual flow impure and force women at that time of the month to stay in sheds away from the family home.

This callous practice was banned by Nepal's Supreme Court in 2005 which was followed by a new law in 2017 to criminalize it.

Previous Such Incidents

In January this year, a 35-year-old woman in Nepal and two of her sons died of suffocation after they spent a night in a windowless hut as part of the banned practice. Likewise, in 2018, a 23-year-old woman in Nepal was found dead at an isolated hut where she was left alone as part of the banned practice.

-Sowmya Sangam

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Tagged Under :
Nepal  Menstruation