Working together to break the silence on menstrual taboos in Nepal

According to a study by the UN Harmful Practices Working Group in Nepal, 89% of girls and women in the country experience restrictions during menstruation. In Achham, a Far West region in Nepal, 60% of women cannot sleep in the same house as the rest of the family while on their periods. And chhaupadi — a dangerous socio-cultural practice in which women are asked to stay in small sheds away from home during menstruation — is still practiced, despite being outlawed by the Supreme Court of Nepal in 2005. Such challenges have only been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information on these issues, please see UNESCO’s video: How do we break the silence on #MenstrualTaboos in Nepal?

This Menstrual Hygiene Day, the UNESCO-UNFPA-UN Women Joint Programme, with support from KOICA, organised its first Community of Knowledge (CoK) in partnership with the Forum for Women, Law, and Development (FWLD). Entitled “Women and Menstruation,” this CoK focused primarily on two issues: good practices from Achham and Bajura districts on tackling menstruation-related stigma and discrimination, and the need for tax exemption on menstrual products.

Speakers from Achham and Bajura districts including Manju Mahat, Chief Officer of the Women, Children and Senior Citizens Unit of Mangalsen Municipality in the Achham District, and Kunti Budha, Vice Chairperson of Khaptad Chhededaha Rural Municipality in Bajura District, shared their experiences on a campaign they initiated in 2019 which aimed to demolish all menstrual sheds. Mahat also shared that many grassroots activists have been conducting awareness-raising programs with community members to mobilise support against chhaupadi.

Budha shared a powerful story of a female local government official who used her own experience to persuade others to break away from the myths surrounding menstruation and associated discrimination. In a meeting she was attending, local government officials were saying that many people still practice chhaupadi because they think women who menstruate bring bad luck. The woman was on her period at the time, and to challenge this notion she passed out water and asked people to drink with her — something people usually avoid out of fear of bad omens. When nothing happened, she conveyed to all those present that menstruation is a natural and normal process, not something to be feared or discriminated against.

In terms of menstrual products, Pashupati Kunwar, President of Sama Bikash Nepal in the Achham District, shared how her organization has been working with local women to produce reusable menstrual pads. Although reusable pads are more environmentally friendly and cost-efficient in the long term, the government outsources cheaper disposable pads. She stressed that the tax levied on these pads and the overwhelming trend of importing foreign pads are major challenges that their campaign is facing.

Menstruation is a natural biological process without which human civilization would cease to exist. It is the most dignified and human process and should not be seen as a subject of discrimination and exclusion.

Roshani Shrestha, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens

Roshani Shrestha, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens (MoWCSC), shared that in the current fiscal year the MoWCSC issued funds to five women's organizations that produced environment-friendly pads. In addition to providing free sanitary pads in schools, the Ministry is also focused on ensuring clean toilets and access to water. More broadly, Shrestha highlighted that through the 2077 National Gender Equality Policy, all levels of government are aiming to tackle harmful gender-based practices, as well as promote women’s economic empowerment.

This session, broadcast live on Facebook, reached around 295,000 people and received 2,100 views and 1,900 likes. Attendees shared positive comments, including the importance of hearing “firsthand from Accham and Bajura about their achievements” and the need to “raise [collective] voices to use locally produced pads.” 

The UNESCO-UNFPA-UN Women Joint Programme, together with FWLD, plans to organise more CoK sessions on topics including the status of funds to fight gender-based violence (GBV) and related laws; the status and roles of Judicial Committees (good practices and persisting challenges); gender-friendly infrastructures in the sector of GBV response mechanisms, and major causes of GBV and good practices adopted to address them in JP project areas.