Whack-a-mole

The practice of Chhaupadi won’t be removed with the current top-down approach.

On January 22, 2020 , the federal Ministry of Home Affairs directed the administration in 19 districts of Sudurpaschim and Karnali provinces to destroy Chhaupadi sheds where menstruating women are traditionally confined. More than 8,000 of these huts were torn down , and around 100 local units were declared Chhaupadi-free. But most of these destroyed shacks have sprung up again, as if by some cruel magic. In fact, many such Chhaupadi-free campaigns have come and gone, yet women in remote western Nepal continue to be confined to chhau sheds during their period. The practice has been illegal since 2017 . The Civil and Criminal Code provisions a three-month jail term and a fine of Rs3,000 against anyone found guilty of forcing a menstruating woman to live in a Chhaupadi shed.