JUMLA, Dec 11: A rural village in the far-western region has been declared free of a traditional practise related to women's menstrual cycle at the initiative taken by the women in the village.
The Hiyankhola village at Lamra VDC's ward no 6 and 7 has been declared free of such religious practice of sending the girls into an isolated hut and not allowing them to attend daily domestic chores and temples during periods. It is believed that girls on periods are impure and polluted and desecrate the temple if they are allowed to go in during such time.
Women from 70 households in Hiyankhola and Baisthapla community organizations took the initiative in declaring the village free of the practise of imposing restrictions during menstruation, Chaupadi-Free Main Organizing Committee Chairperson, Devi Kanya Acharya said.
She added that women are the victims of the wrong practise, hence the village was declared free of the traditional exercise on women on periods.
"Before we used to live in the hut, now we are living in our houses, this declaration has strengthened us further," Maya Kami said. Rapsi Neupane, another local woman from the village, said the women are now free of disease, grief and discrimination. She attributed the success of bringing the women to present situation to the five years of awareness programmes being launched by various I/NGOs.
Lamra VDC Secretary, Surat Bahadur Rawat, thanked the women for completing such an exemplary task. RSS
Perhaps the new generation can be free from menstrual taboos
