CHHAUPADI TRADITION AND THE LACKLUSTER ATTITUDE OF THE GOVERNMENT
Forcing a woman to practice Chhaupadi is a crime. The guilty can receive a three-month jail sentence or a 3,000 rupee fine or both. Photo credit: womennepal.org; bianet.org; spotlight Nepal By LB THAPA The practice of Chhaupadi tradition is rampant in many rural areas of the country. Nepal’s Supreme Court banned Chhaupadi tradition in 2005, describing it as a human rights violation. However, the government has completely failed to stop this tradition in many rural parts of the country. Forcing a woman to practice Chhaupadi is a crime. The guilty can receive a three-month jail sentence or a 3,000 rupee fine or both. Although Nepal has made so much progress in the last two decades or so, some traditions like Chhaupadi are still rampant in some parts of the country. According to research conducted by a non-government organization, about 67 percent of women from Dailekh and Surkhet districts in Karnali province are found to strictly follow Chhaupadi tradition. The other day the Center f