In farwest Nepal, even elected officials bow to outlawed Chhaupadi tradition

The punishing custom of banishing menstruating women to isolation sheds continues due to superstition, fear and social pressure.

Despite years of activism and legal restriction, the deeply-rooted Chhaupadi tradition—where menstruating women and postpartum mothers are exiled to makeshift sheds considering them impure—still persists in various districts of Sudurpaschim and Karnali provinces. Alarmingly, even the elected people’s representatives in the local government, tasked with abolishing such discriminatory practices, continue to observe the punishing custom.