By Our Correspondent
Bajura, Dec. 19: The tradition of untouchability during menstrual has remained a well-accepted tradition in nine local levels of the district.
It has become more challenging to eradicate the evil practice as the educated and new generation people are found giving continuity to it.
Educated people and shamans (Jhakris) in the villages are forcing women to sleep in an unsafe shed during menstrual period and controlling it has become a difficult job in the area.
Even health professionals, teachers, youngsters and renowned families are following the practice.
Awareness generating programmes run by different non-government organisations have also failed to leave any impact in the districts like Bajura, Achham, Doti and Bajhang due to the educated people and the shamans.
During the menstrual period, many women have not been able to eat nutritious foods like yogurt, milk and honey. They are also not allowed to touch the sources of water, trees of vegetables and fruits.
In most places of Bajura, still teenagers are taken outside their houses for 11 days during the first time menstruation and five days for the second time.
Mamata Nepali of Triveni said that her family forced her to sleep outside her home during the period in the past days, but now she managed to sleep in a separate room in her house as she feared to sleep outside or in the shed.
She informed that women were compelled to sleep in a wet and cold place during menstruation. Some of the women lost their life and many became sick while sleeping in the menstruation shed.
For Khinturi Kumari Sarki of Budhiganga-10, it has been 13 times since she has been sleeping in the shed during her menstruation. She knows very well that the process is natural but with the fear of the god, she could not manage to sleep inside the house.
She said that everyone in the village followed the rule and breaking the old tradition was not possible. “Rather than being excluded in society, I sleep in the shed. How do I fight alone?” she added.
Nirmala Neupane, a student of Bachelor’s Degree from Chhatar, said that even she had been running a campaign against the tradition, she was forced to sleep in the shed earlier due to her family mindset. “Though we are running the campaign, we are not able to change to old mindset of the people,” she informed.
(from The Rising Nepal)
