The tug of war was
observed at CSW 61th meeting, March 17. One side of the Nepalese coin was
explaining that Nepal has historical moment for women where three key leading
position are holding by rural women who represented from Eastern and western
rural Nepal. More importantly, Nepal gets the membership in CEDAW committee at
first time in history. The other side of the coin was saying, yes, it was true,
absolutely true, Nepal made history nationally and globally. But, there was
nothing for the sake of rural girls and women, they just show case or
politically compromised positions because their voice never represented. The
reason behind the women leaders in key positions is for using and addressing
the specific needs, interests, insights, experiences and priorities of girls
and women because men never have such experiences. There were many examples to
show where the key positioned women leaders remained silence or even
discouraged e.g. a 15 years adolescent girl and 21 years mother found dead in
cowshed, Achham in November 2016. This is the background of tug of war whether
the advocates accountable towards donors or community. Those, who believed and
practiced downward accountability, they keep speaking across globe no matter
whether they blamed by their Nepalese folks.
It was not single
incident for me. I experienced such kind of tug of war at local, national and
international workshops, conferences with the human right activists represented
from UN, I/NGOs, media even government. They responded, 'oh, Radha is referring
Chhaupadi, it is only practising in far west Nepal in earlier days, now it is
getting better. Few added, women were so happy to segregated from their kitchen
work as well as from their partners. It
is right to choice.''
Here, let me cross-sect
of these two ideas; Chhaupadi and right to choice. If anyone use the Chhaupadi goth (shed), the literature
showed that it has been practising in 21 districts lies in far and mid-west
region plus Gorkha and Dhading. If anyone use the word Chhaupadi only, applies
across the world where Nepalese resided. The bottom line principle of putting
girls and women in cowshed or separate hut is restriction. It is restriction
for not enter in to house and not touch even the foundation of house. More
importantly, girls and women are not only segregated but also are following
various forms restrictions. Nepalese community is practising more than 40 types
of restriction regardless of education, class, caste, religion, region. These
restrictions can be clubbed in to following three types; i) restriction in
terms of touching, ii) restrictions in terms of entering and mobility, iii)
restriction in terms of eating. Girls and women restrict not to touch any male
members of the family and community, not touch any pregnant women, infant, any
plant of fruits, vegetables, flowers, any religious person, religious books,
any reading materials house, temple, no sex etc. Likewise, girls and women are
not allow to eat any milk and milk products, meat and meat products, prasad
(the materials which is offered to god), pickle, radish, any citrus fruits/
food etc. Girls and women also not allow to enter in to house, temple, school,
meetings where men, religious women are there etc. The ranges of restriction is
vary place to place though found everywhere. I witnessed these restrictions in
London, USA and got the information of same in Australia as well. In this
connection, putting additional layer of discrimination to mid and far west, if
any one says that it is practising in only far and mid-west Nepal.
In Kathmandu valley, the
land is so expensive so they do not have cows and cowshed. Women confined in a
corner if she rented a room by following many forms of restrictions. They can't
put girls and women in cowshed but principle of segregation is same. I
interviewed with many girls and boys from various public and private schools in
Kathmandu valley and founded that their mother, sisters are practising at home
as well as huge stigma in school as well.
There is different form
of saying for menstrual days such as Maharani,
MC (short form of menstruation). Usually menstruation is recognised as Chhui (contamined), nachhune (not being
touchable), bahir sareko (getting out), pancheko(being far), chhau(bleed),
manhinabari (monthly bleed), bhagwanale tike lagaidiyeko (god put red color) etc.
but the right term is menstruation means happen every month.
Because of following sets
of restriction, girls and women suffering from various forms of affects at immediate
as well as long term. Because of poor
nutrition, hygiene, absence of school for 60 (average five days in a month)
days in an academic year, they would have poor health, suffering from various
urinary, reproductive tract infections, malnutrition, anaemia, and deeply
traumatise. As a result, they lost their self-esteem and self-determination
since first menstruation or before that. Finally, they started to fail in
subject and class in few years later and finally dropped off from school and
encouraged to have forced and voluntary marriage. Here, let me share a saying
the adolescent girls from Jumla and Kalikot who wanted to commit suicide due to
menstrual restrictions including Chhaupadi goth. I also like to die for several
years once I saw the menstrual blood and knew that it was a result of the sin
from god when I was only about seven years old and witnessed various forms of
abuses on my sisters at cowshed and the process of Rishipanchami (annual cleansing ritual followed by red colour
festival, Teej). Such powerless,
worthless feelings deeply embedded since childhood whereas boys feel more
powerful, worthiness. The restrictions during menstruation is responsible
factor for cultivating all forms of gender based violence. The media reported
the cases related with menstrual restriction if it is associated with rape,
murder or death but no one see the multiple layers of discrimination due to
sets of restrictions during menstruation. The rape, death, murder are the only
the outcome of the menstrual restrictions but merely none of activist
understand this dynamics. So the ignorance embodied with the educated people
and development activist instead of villagers (unlearned for new learning).
Villagers deserved to practice because they learned and constructed in a way
and living in very closed society. For them, only god is helping them since
they know. Once they know the menstrual physiology and deconstruct the all
myths and rumours with rationalisation, the learning took place faster than
them.
During period, my late
mother and sisters worked in field, carrying the fresh compost fertiliser, went
to forest 30 years ago and it is continuing in many places of the country. From
the shed, girls and women are doing heavy work such as carrying stone for house
construction, working in forest, farm etc. In this situation, how the advocates
can have justified that they are in rest for four days. Here, I challenged them
whether they are promoting human right of girls and women or not.
Girls and women do not
have any say for their personal life and body at all even in urban educated
family. I just observed a case in
central Terai where a twenty-two years old, master running sister is safeguard
by 14 years, ten grade brother and six-year brother was saying to eleven graded
sister that you don't have any authority here, you must go outside house (poel
means marriage) in west Nepal. Girls and women are accepted as a part of life
and prestige. They neither know about their rights what they deserved nor they
claimed. The reports and observation showed that girls and women couldn't go
even health facilities without permission from father in law or husband or father
or brother. I observed many cases where husbands allow to check his wife's
reproductive organs even in serious sickness. In this situation, how do my
friends justified the right to choose. I do agree with right to choose that
apply to me or a girl or women who can decide about her ideas, thoughts and
body by herself.
More importantly, even
the educated and urban girls and women do not aware about their rights related
with menstruation. The Constitution 2015 clearly mentioned two words 'gender'
and 'discrimination' should not be the basis for categorize the people in the
country or everyone equal by the rule of law of this country. Furthermore,
under the fundamental rights, there are 10 different articles which directly
demanded the rights related with menstruation. They are Article 16: Right to Dignified life, Article
17: Right to Freedom, Article 18: Right to Equality, Article 24: Right to
against discrimination and contamination (Chhuwachhut), Article 30: Right to
Healthy Environment, Article 31: Right to Education, Article 35: Right to
Health, Article 36: Right to Food, Article 37: Right to House and Article 38:
Right to Women. Unfortunately, these articles are for show case like women
leaders in nation's key positions. Additionally, the global policy SDG target's
6.2 directly speak about the gender responsive toilets in school but never
spells a single world of MHM directly. But, the good MHM is the pre-condition
for achieving many SDGs such as hunger, poverty, health, education, and gender.
Thus, menstrual rights are overlooked for a long in development and right
discourse not only in Nepal but also globally. Since 2014 when UN declared that
the menstrual restrictions is key barrier for achieving gender equality and
same year the Menstrual Hygiene day started to celebrate globally as most prioritise issue.
By
considering all facts and figures, the menstrual restriction is key hindering
factor to cultivate the culture of peace and justice within person, within
family and community. It is also serious form of human right violation and
state of disempowerment. In this scenario, does any organisation at various
levels could achieve the peace, human right, empowerment and SDG in real sense.
Often people think that menstruation is matter of girls and women's issue. It
is very wrong concept or stereotyped mindset. It is men's issue, it's boy's
issue and it is everyone's issue because it is human right issue.
In addition to ignorance and gender
discrimination, menstrual restriction associated with religion or culture. In
one case, it is also part of ignorance and gender discrimination but
constructed permanently through the religious books. Among all religions, Hindu
religion specially Chanakya Niti 6,3
and 11:12, Gaurn Puran (use for death ritual);
6, 7, Rishipanchami described the
menstruation as 'dirty', 'impure', 'contaminated' and outcome of sin from god
Indra. These Hindu notions are transfer generation to generation without
questioning. It is also happened due to old Hindu epics, not having specific
policies to address this and poverty to live with safe, clean manner due to the
issues related with quality sanitary materials and its affordability, accessibility,
availability and quality.
Here,
it is important to discuss about private and public sphere in relation with
menstrual restrictions. The girls and women who are belong with non-Hindu and
non -Aryan group, also influenced and practising ranges of restriction as
matter of fact of prestige. They do not practice at their private sphere such
as family but following at public sphere because there is huge stigma and
stigma in the public sphere as well as there is no mechanism for hygiene and
environment concern. It has also other
side among Aryan and Hindu community. Few of them, as development activists
e.g. gender expert, they do not practice at public sphere at macro level
because ethically they do not like to disclose the practice of restriction. In
other hand, mostly they come from elite family so can manage the hygiene
matters. But, they are serious practitioner at private life at the name of
their in laws, culture and so on. Thus, the menstrual health management
remained overlooked in such 60 years of development in Nepal.
Indeed, menstrual blood is
just a natural product beyond anyone's control. Since the day one of
humanization, there is male and female and menstruation existed for put
forwarded the human creature by nature. So, it is the most known fact and no
any single manner of or being stigmatised. Due to institutionalize the
menstrual restriction, it is huge challenge to unpack but possible. Based on my
experience engaging with faith healers, men and boys, women, politicians, media
is the best way unveil of the menstrual restriction. The campaign would get
speed if an appropriate policy will in place followed by reward for the hero
who break the silence.
There are many women and
men are breaking the silence around menstruation for many years ago but who
recognise them and felicitated. For instance, Radha Paudel, activist and Madan
Purskar winner for Khalangama Hamala was did the 13 days death ritual during
the death of her mother in 2009 along with her sister and brother. She violated
all family and community codes by running away from home without permission
when she had first means at age of 14.
This year 2017, the
international Menstrual day is celebrating globally with slogan' Education
about Menstruation changes everything'. Never late, the space is
getting wider and accepted widely in many ways. I strongly believed that the
people who criticised me and my work would realise the urgency and significance
of breaking the silence around menstruation for achieving their life long job
around peace, human right, empowerment. I wish all the best to everyone!
Few stakeholders are
started to work in menstrual hygiene issue in few locations of the country but
they far behind for telling the truth about menstruation and focusing on
counting the toilets and sanitary materials which are not bad but very indirect
and slow process of breaking the silence. For instance, none of the major
political parties considered the menstrual restriction is serious issue in
their local election manifesto 2017. Because they do not see the menstruation
is key hindering factor of peace, violation of human right and empowerment.
More importantly, it is the pre/condition to accomplished sustainable
development goals largely. Hope will address during their tenure and girls and
women would live with dignity and respect.
Note> This article forwarded to Kathmandu post
