Published 14 November 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a2520
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2520

News

Nepalese woman dies after banishment to shed during menstruation

Khagendra Dahal

1 Kathmandu

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A second woman has died in Nepal in less than five months after following the practice of "chhaupadi," spending five days living in a shed during her menstrual period.

The 24 year woman, who lived in the western hills of Nepal, developed a cough and cold after she entered the shed in mid-October. Although her family took her to a nearby health centre five days later it was too late to save her. She died from sepsis after pneumonia.

The woman was following the tradition of chhaupadi, which is practiced in many areas of Nepal, despite the fact that the government declared it illegal in 2005.

During menstruation women have to spend 4-5 days in a shed away from the family home because they are considered "impure and untouchable." Living in a dilapidated and dirty cowshed is seen as a punishment from god, and during this time women are not . . . [Full text of this article]


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