The sexual assault on a 16-year-old girl in a chhaugoth (menstrual shed) two weeks ago in ward 2 of Panchadewal Binayak Municipality in Achham district has once again highlighted the dire situation faced by girls and women practicing chhaupadi during their periods in farwestern Nepal.

The incident has sparked concerns among authorities, people’s representatives, social organisations and rights activists about the deep-rooted social evil in the district. They are now planning to resume a campaign against the practice.

The people’s representatives of all 10 local units of the district, local administration, non-governmental organisations, social activists and other stakeholders held a meeting in Mangalsen, the district headquarters of Achham, on Sunday. They discussed the need for launching a campaign to demolish menstrual sheds. The campaign had been halted four years ago. Besides demolishing menstrual sheds, they decided to raise public awareness and take legal action against violators.

A district-level committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Lalit Bahadur Kunwar, chief of the District Coordination Committee of Achham, to conduct the campaign across the district. The committee consists of chiefs of 10 local bodies, the chief district officer and social activists. This committee will shortly formulate strategies and implement them to make the campaign effective, according to officials.

“This campaign will not stop like the previous one,” said Chief District Officer Shiva Prasad Lamsal. “It will continue until there is a visible change in society.”

According to Lamsal, an executive committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Padam Bahadur Bohora, mayor of Mangalsen Municipality. The committee will launch the campaign in all 91 wards in the district.

“Although there have been many debates and discussions in the district on the chhaugoth issue, the practice is still continuing. There is a need for a united effort to end this practice,” said Ambika Chalaune, mayor of Panchadewal Binayak Municipality. “So far, we have only discussed addressing the issue, so problems have continued because we have failed on the implementation part. Now, we have to proceed in a planned manner. Our local unit fully supports this campaign.”

The local people, mainly the women, are hopeful that the campaign against chhaupadi practice will gather momentum this time. “Women die in chhaugoth. They are raped. Then only the government authorities and stakeholders initiate campaigns against the social evil. But they do not give continuity,” said Srijana Saud of ward 3 of Mangalsen, criticising the ineffective campaign of the past. “We hope that the upcoming campaign will be effective to eliminate this deep-rooted social evil.”

Bindu Rawal, vice-chairperson of Bannigadhi Jayagadh Rural Municipality, said that political parties, people’s representatives, employees and community leaders should work together to end such practice in their neighborhood. According to her, this practice has not yet ended due to poor implementation of the existing legal provisions and their public commitment.

“In public, the community leaders express their commitment to end chhaupadi, yet they continue to keep their daughters and daughters-in-law in chhaugoth,” she said. “There are 495 elected representatives in the district. Where do they make the women in their house stay during menstruation? The campaign will be successful only if everyone is committed to it.”

On June 17, the 16-year girl was reportedly raped in the chhaugoth by her distant relative. Police arrested a 17-year-old boy for his alleged involvement in the crime. The suspect is currently in police custody. The investigation is underway into the case, said police.

The victim, who was found in an unconscious state, was taken to the district hospital in Mangalsen. The relatives and neighbours took the victim to the hospital stating that she was epileptic and had fainted. The crime was revealed after she regained consciousness after hours.

The chhaupadi tradition—an outdated social practice in which menstruating girls, women, and postpartum mothers are deemed impure and banished into seclusion for three days—is still prevalent in various districts of the Sudurpaschim and Karnali provinces. Incidents of sexual assaults and deaths caused by asphyxiation (during winter when they make woodfire to keep warm) and snakebite in chhau sheds are frequently reported.

As per the data available at the District Police Office, a total of 14 women and girls died in chhau sheds in Achham, a hill district of Sudurpaschim Province, since 2006. Two women died in Doti and three in Bajura under similar circumstances.

The civil and criminal codes enforced in 2017 have criminalised chhau tradition. The practice is not only discriminatory against women, but also life-threatening. Reports of girls and women dying in chhau sheds from cold, suffocation, snakebites, and wildlife attacks surface regularly.

Clause 168 (3) of the Civil and Criminal Code provisions a three-month jail and a fine of Rs3,000 for anyone who forces a woman to live in a chhau shed during menstruation. The punishment is more severe if the perpetrators hold public positions.

In 2020, the federal Ministry of Home Affairs directed administrations in 19 districts of Sudurpaschim and Karnali provinces to dismantle chhau sheds.

According to the District Administration Office of Achham, under the instruction of the federal Ministry of Home Affairs, more than 10,000 chhau sheds were torn down in 91 wards of ten local units of the district over a period of a month.

People's representatives, police, and local residents came forward to support the campaign, but it was stopped after a couple of months. Neither the police administration nor the local units gave continuity to the campaign.