Women beginning to stay at home during menstruation

BY SHER BAHADUR SARKI,Bajura, June 22: Women in the north eastern region of Bajura's Himali Rural Municipality have recently started staying inside rooms in their homes during menstruation.

Previously, women in this area used to stay in chhau goths, which are huts built far from their homes, during their menstrual periods.

With the rural municipality conducting various awareness programmes to end the practice of chhaupadi, women have now started staying in their own homes instead of the chhau goths during menstruation.

Jama Pandey of Himali Rural Municipality–6 said she used to stay in chhau goths for a long time because she lacked awareness about the practice of chhaupadi.

She said, "After clearly understanding that chhaupadi is a harmful tradition, I started staying on the upper floor of my house even during menstruation."

"Not just me, even my in-laws no longer believe in this tradition. Earlier, they used to send me away to sleep far from home. Now, they let me sleep on the upper floor and even allow me to consume yogurt, milk, and ghee during my periods," she added.

Jama's mother-in-law, Dewa Pandey, said she suffered greatly due to the chhaupadi practice.

She said, "I don’t want my daughter-in-law and daughter to suffer the same way I did. So, I now let them stay on the upper floor of the house during menstruation."

"They used to say that cows and buffaloes would fall sick if menstruating women consumed dairy products. 

But I’ve been giving my daughter and daughter-in-law milk, yogurt, and ghee during their periods, and nothing has happened to my buffalo. Since they started staying inside the house during their periods, they are more comfortable," Dewa added.

In other parts of the district, however, the practice of chhaupadi still exists. On January 27, 2025, the Ritha police post of Budhiganga Municipality–8 monitored chhau goths in areas like Nuwakot, Sigada, Bhandargau, Jhargau, Badeda, Timada, and Selapakha.

During the inspection, police found 29 chhau goths still in use. These huts have not been demolished yet.

On 9 January 2019, a fire broke out in a chhau goth in Pandusen, Budhinanda Municipality–9, killing 35-year-old Amba Bohora and her two sons, 9-year-old Suresh Bohora and 7-year-old Ramit Bohora.

After that incident, several local authorities in Bajura started running programmes to eliminate the harmful practice of chhaupadi. However, except in Himali Rural Municipality, the practice still continues in other municipalities. Women there still stay in chhau goths during menstruation.

A previous campaign to demolish chhau goths led to the destruction of about 511 huts in Bajura. But as the campaign has weakened, many villages have started rebuilding chhau goths.

Previously, women in this region would stay in chhau goths during their periods. 

Due to consistent awareness programmes encouraging families to let women stay in their homes, many now remain in their own rooms during menstruation, according to Himali Rural Municipality chairperson Govindra Bahadur Malla.