Date: July 18, 2018
Dear Meghan,
Namaste and
Greetings all the way from Nepal!
First, please accept
my heartfelt congratulations for your marriage. I am so happy for you.
I became aware of
you a few months ago. I was impressed by the way you have dedicated yourself to
women’s empowerment ever since childhood. You are a true inspiration for many
girls and women across the globe. Further, I was interested to see that you
support the women's group who are working for menstrual hygiene in Mumbai, India:
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/meghan-markle-voice-issue-menstrual-hygiene-care/story?id=55409921
To introduce myself
very briefly, I am Ms. Radha Paudel, a social activist and author from Nepal. I
am significantly engaged in the areas of peace-building, empowerment of the
disadvantaged, and human rights. Dignified Menstruation is the
most important and long-fought battle of mine.
I began to
understand about menstruation when I was about 7 years old while absorbing and
observing rituals affecting women, as well as beginning to understand the
variety of suffering and hardships experienced during their periods, including
confinement in cowsheds for 7 days a month see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MsxkORI8YM
I left home when I
was 9 years old with the intention of committing suicide because I couldn’t see
any value of being a girl at all. Fortunately, I failed. Then, I again left
home aged 14 when I had my first period.
In short, my battle against menstrual restriction had begun. Now at the age of
45, I continue to do whatever possible
as a full-time volunteer, working as a trainer, researcher and advocate.
However, I am not accepted by my society in many ways. In this connection, your
voice and solidarity made me cry. Thank you for being a part of this journey.
I keep doing
whatever possible when I see an opportunity. I gave up all my luxury jobs and
privileges in order to represent the voice of not only Nepalese girls and
women, but to be a women's’ spokesperson
across the globe. To me, dignified menstruation is not only a matter of
sanitation, water provision and sanitary pads. It requires a holistic approach
where peace, human rights, empowerment, health, education, water/sanitation and
environment would be improved simultaneously. In short, dignity should come
first. Because the clean shed or clean house or good quality and free sanitary
pads cannot alone guarantee the right to participate socially e.g. eating
communally with family members or helping oneself to water/food when one feels
thirsty/ hungry.
In my country,
particularly in west Nepal, more than 40 types of restriction for women are
followed and visible. In addition, girls and women are dying when confined to
cowsheds during their periods due to snake bites, extreme cold, infections, suffocation
from smoke inhalation in the winter etc see
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/woman-period-exile-nepal-dies-menstruating-men-family-a8156271.html
Unfortunately,
dignified menstruation was heavily ignored in human rights and development
discourse till 2014. After this, the
focus was on hygiene and it was acknowledged that Chhaupadi in west Nepal was a
traditional harmful practice. I am still
not happy with the UN CEDAW Committee because recognizing Chhaupadi as harmful suggests
that isolation and segregation during menstruation is confined to an ethnic
group and specific region, in West Nepal. The word Chhaupadi applies specifically to
West Nepal. Segregation or isolation
during menstruation is common across the globe regardless of country, religion,
caste, region, education etc but the degree and methods are bit different.
Thus, we are losing our ground (space for girls) again.
I am grateful for
your empathy and your dedication to gender equality since childhood
and I like to think
there is someone in such a powerful and influential position who is a champion
of our cause.
I wish you all the
best. Please keep smiling and inspiring many girls and women like me across the
globe.
Sending love, Peace
and Solidarity,
Radha Paudel
rpaudel456@gmail.com
+977-9849596298
