Menstrual humiliation in Nepal: After menstruation, women are not only locked up in small black houses in the middle of nowhere, but also repeatedly discriminated against by the villagers.
There are days every month when women feel a little unwell and their emotions fluctuate. This is a woman's unique menstrual cycle, a symbol of life, as natural as the change of seasons.
But in the foothills of the distant Himalayas, this natural color has been overshadowed and has become an unspeakable pain for Nepalese women.
In Nepal, menstruation is not something that can be talked about openly, it is seen as a symbol of filth and foreboding.
What is it about menstruation that is so prejudiced in Nepali society? At its root, poverty and ignorance are like two mountains that weigh heavily on the shoulders of Nepalese women.
Nepal's economy is backward and educational resources are scarce, and many people lack scientific understanding of menstruation, blindly listen to superstitious rumors, regard menstruation as a curse, and believe that menstrual blood will bring diseases and bad luck.
For many Nepalese women, menstruation is like being behind bars, forced to isolate from their families and live in humble "menstrual huts". These huts, often made of mud or tin sheets, are poor, dark and damp, and have no basic sanitation.
It may be hard for you to imagine that in the 21st century, there is such a superstitious custom, and women have to go through such torture every month. They are not allowed to eat at the same table with their families, touch any daily necessities, or even step half a step into the house, as if they are outliers abandoned by the whole society.
Yet even with their lives in danger, many Nepalese women are afraid to flee their huts.
Long-term social discipline has left them with heavy mental shackles, and once they violate taboos, they will be regarded as sinners in the family, and suffer from accusations and ostracism from relatives, neighbors and even the whole village.
Their bodies are imprisoned in huts, and their souls are imprisoned in traditional cages. Even without chains and walls, they could not escape this invisible bondage. What is even more chilling is that even if they muster up the courage to flee, it is difficult to get help from the outside world.
Because of deep-seated prejudices, many Nepalese doctors also refuse to treat menstruating women, believing it to be a stain on themselves.
Even more distressingly, the "menstrual hut" is not a safe haven, but a nightmare for many women.
Due to its remote location, the hut has extremely poor sanitary conditions and lacks necessary protective measures, and women are highly susceptible to diseases and even attacks by wild animals, which seriously affects their lives.
In January 2019, a 35-year-old Nepalese woman was herded into a thatched hut after her period, and when the cold weather took care of her young children, she lit a pair of fires in the house, only to find all three dead.
After the police deduced, it was supposed that the fire caused the air in the house to be rapidly consumed, so that the three people suffocated to death.
These shocking cases, like a complaint, reveal the cruel reality behind the "menstrual hut".
In Nepal, menstruation has become a social taboo, a moral yoke that binds women firmly to the quagmire of inequality. However, even in the dark, it cannot stop the light of hope.
In recent years, with the influx of information from the outside world and the strong advocacy of the Nepalese government, more and more Nepalis have begun to face up to the problem of menstruation and are committed to changing the status quo.
As early as 2005, the Nepalese government had legislated to ban the existence of "menstrual huts" and increased penalties for violators. The government is also actively promoting sex education to help people break down superstitions and prejudices about menstruation.
The tide of change is surging in this ancient land, and I believe that in the near future, Nepalese women will be able to completely get rid of the shadow of the "menstrual hut", breathe freely, and live as equals!
Source: Cover news of a woman and two young sons in Nepal who suffocated to make a fire to keep warm in a "menstrual hut".
