It was mid-October 2015, the weather is getting
cooler especially in the morning in Jumla, a mountainous district in North-West
of Nepal. It was about to 5 AM. I was following the noise though pretending
that I had have deep sleep at my bed of home stay in Kartikswami village.
A five years girl, named Shishika (name
changed) was calling from outside.
Shishika: Bajyeai, dhoka khola na (
Grandmom, please
open the door). Open the door.
Due to cold, she was trying to hide within
the arms of grandma. I continuously was following their conversation.
Grand mom: why
did you scream? Where were your parents?
Shishika: Mom had bahir
sarin (menstruation); she went to chhuikotha (separate room in
ground floor) along with brother. Dad went to the next house.
Shishika has three months brother. Her mom
is government employee as a health worker in the village and her dad is working
in renounced NGO which is working for women empowerment.
I got the sense
of conversation. Her mom went to separate room which is always dirty, dark,
limited raged clothes and in ground floor. They haven’t had the cows and of course
cowshed. Most of the villagers have cattle and shed for them where women and
girls are sleeping during their period called Chhaupadi in Nepal where women and girls segregated at least five
days during period and 11 days during childbirth. They are living in literally in cowshed along
with cattle whatever they have. Usually, they use raged clothes above the pine
leaves and sleep. Pine leaves piercing here and there, there are various forms
of insects, fleas, bedbugs (I myself
slept in a cowshed to test the hardship). There was bad smell of dungs,
urine and decay of pine leaves or other types of hay which is stored for long winter.
During winter, in many places, the temperature abruptly went down up to -30
degree Celsius. In this case, they use firewood for making warm. Many women and
girls were died due to suffocation from the collection of Carbon monoxide at
their unventilated room. Many were died because of cold. Many were died because
of snake’s or wild animal bites. Many women and girls subjected to rape, sexual
abuse, exploitation and stigma and discrimination is very common.
By keeping all
facts in my mind, I became restlessness; it was cold though I went down to see
that woman. She was lying down with three months boy, he is so sweet and
smiley. I played with him for a while and asked to his mom (everyone called her
Love).
Radha: What did you teach to villagers
on Chaupadi, care of babies and
mothers etc.
Love: I taught them that it is
harmful practice and have to abolish.
Radha: Really ? I didn’t believe? [
bit anger tone]
Love: Yes, I do [laughter..].
Radha: If so why did you here with
such small boy, dirty and cold room?
Love: My
sister didn’t follow last month (she also health worker) and she got sick so I
didn’t like to get sick as she.
I pretended that
I was so furious with her. I simply said that you all are criminal. You were
cheating innocent people. You hadn’t have right to tell if you wouldn’t follow.
I also criticized their education; meanwhile, I cooled down and started to
teach as I am doing in village to village and everywhere on menstrual
restriction.
Radha: Do you aware of how many days
do you stay in this room in a year?
Love: [silence ……………and smiled…….]
Radha: You
sleep here for five days in a month, means 12 times in a year so total 60 days
or 2 months in a year.
When did you menstruate at first?
Love: At 12 years old.
Radha: Do you ever think that how
many years do you sleep in your reproductive life ?
Love: I never ever think in such
deeper level, sorry…..!
Radha: Two
months a year for 36 years (estimated menopause age 48 years), means 72 months
in total means 6 years in reproductive age.
Love: Oh my god !, I never thought
in such way.
Radha: Unfortunately, you have more
days.
Love: How come? It’s not true? You
were exaggerating at all? You wanted to make scared me.
Radha: No,
not at all. This is true. Let me explain. Where did your daughter sleep when
you have period after she born?
Love: Is
that really questioned? She had to feed breast milk. So she slept with me as
like my son now. [She tightly hold her son and seemed more emotional].
Radha: It’s
ok, don’t worry at all. I just like to know the facts. If so, as likely your
daughter, you slept with your mom since infancy. Haven’t you add more years
then?
She had beaten
her tongue and flushed her face and nodding her head for yes.
Radha: You
had fed breast milk for 2- 3 years and had continued to sleep with mother as
company till you get marriage or away from your home, right? In such condition,
at least 12 years means total 24 months or 2 years. Thus, you should add 2
years in your earlier 6 years. Now, the total years of segregation is 8 years.
Have you ever think, how much loss in your health, economic life,
political life and all because of all.
Love: Very
honestly, I don’t know at all, Phupu..(Aunt).
I am following all because of tradition and pleasing to my parents and
personally, I also scared to abolish the restrictions. I have strong believe on
god.
Radha: Since
you are health worker from city, you should aware. There are many immediate affects
from Chhaupadi as follows;
1.
Devastating
situations: many women and girls are died,
subjected to rape, sexual violence, harassment, stigma because of living in
segregation. It is serious form of human right violence.
2.
Urinary and Reproductive
Health Illness (URHI): though there are other
contributing factors for URTI, the Chhaupadi
is one of the key cause. Because they profoundly exposed with dirty clothes,
dung, dusts and so on since childhood. Consequently, many women and girls are suffering
from chronic URHI including infertility, uterus prolapse.
3.
Mental and psychological
trauma: since childhood, they have deep trauma
from it. Girls considered themselves as cattle. If we think bit optimistic way,
they considered themselves as low status than their brothers and fathers. That
kind of learning, humiliation is permanently constructed. Many girls like to
commit suicide even after 4-5 years of period (AWON, 2013). They thought that
they born as girl as a consequence of sin of earlier life. Meantime, boys also
considered that super power or higher position than boys.
4.
Deprivation in political
participation: because of period, many women
absent from group meetings due to unable to putting thumb stamp in attendance
register, many women don’t join the cultural gathering due to scared of
touching. Many girls remain absent in school due to many reasons; sacred to
touch books, men members and temple at school. They also sacred because of
leaking of blood due to no toilet, water and sanitary towels.
As a result of immediate
affects, there are many long term negative impacts as follows;
1.
Peace building: women and girls are living in internal and external conflicts. They
regret for being born as girl or female. In addition, women and girls are living
in deprivation from basic needs such as warm, food, love, respect, dignity etc.
In this connection, peace is fully torched at individual and family levels.
2.
Empowerment: women are deprived from various forms of opportunities since
childhood which has huge cost in political participation, economic empowerment
and overall empowerment.
3.
Development: once there is no participation of caliber or empowered women, there
is no sustained peace. Once there is no peace and women, how can we imagine for
sustainable development.
I would say,
unfortunately, boys also slept in cowshed though biologically they never ever
have period.
She just nodding
her head and continuously looking down.
Radha: see,
your son never has period but since 3 months he is sleeping in separate room. Later, sons are sleeping with their mom
unless until they felt secure with their mom. As your nephew, usually they
sleep up to 10-11 years or before teenage. It means they also segregated about
2 years in their life due to period.
The half of the
sky has been experience of period as piece and parcel of nature and divine for
social legacy. No one can deny this natural character or no one can steal from
women. Unfortunately, it was misinterpreted by our ancestors and it is
continuously practiced across the globe where Nepalese are living.
The bottom-line
principle of Chhaupadi is
restriction. There are three forms of restrictions in practice; entering,
touching and eating. The women and girls don’t allow to enter in to the house
because of blood (a form of impurity) so they segregated in various forms of
cowshed since history where no knowledge, skills, technology and all. It is
easily can imagined that the blood could give smell and attracts flies and
blood became contaminated. The menstrual blood pure as other blood (in normal
situation) but get contaminated right after expulsion from vagina. Unfortunately,
ancestors unaware about all and might be said that the god would angry if women
wouldn’t leave the house.
Now, the time
change and change many things in our surroundings. It has being taught in high
school but the practice is still following everywhere such as USA, UK. The
health teacher, personnel, social activists, scholars are practicing at the
name of culture, religion, pleasing their parents or faith healers or in- laws
but it is very impulsive practice indeed.
At that house,
the grandma and granddad are the health worker and teacher respectively. I
don’t see the accountability at all. I often used this family for my home stay
as principle and practice of Miteri –mutual love and respect, while
travelling to Jumla headquarter. I didn’t tell them that I have period though
the toilet is not appropriate to maintain my cleanliness, privacy and
confidentiality. There is no bathroom and no place of waste disposal. However,
I managed to hide.
I don’t have
regret and won’t be regret throughout my life that my friend and I were eating
at their third story kitchen with our period but a three-month boy was
following Chhaupadi for the sake of
god. Personally, I believe in nature, to me nature is god. God made women in a
way who can continue the society, so there is no point to stay in segregation
at all.
