What you should know
It is very worrisome that some people's representatives are promoting this malpractice while the government agencies and local levels are actively campaigning to end the Chhaupadi system.
It is very worrisome that some people's representatives are promoting this malpractice while the government agencies and local levels are actively campaigning to destroy the chaupadi system.
Krishnapur municipality has given instructions to demolish the camp within 15 days and warned that if it fails, it will be fined 10,000. The district administration has also started a campaign. This is a positive step. However, when the people's representative hesitates to destroy the camp by saying, 'How is our tradition destroyed?', then the effectiveness of this campaign is questioned. Some of the women representatives themselves have been living in the neighborhood and they consider it a normal process. It has sent a wrong message to the society. On the one hand, the government runs a campaign to destroy slums, enacts laws, but on the other hand, the leaders of the society, who are supposed to play a leading role, eradicate this evil practice. The re-encampment at the place where the encampment was removed clearly shows that the campaign was not as successful as expected. The example of Ramana Shahi, a ward member of Panchadeval Vinayak Municipality, is a vivid example of this. She herself was active in demolishing more than 200 slums, but later started living in slums herself. Such a dual character weakens the campaign to eradicate Chhaupadi.
Public representatives are the representatives of the people and are expected to lead the society in a positive direction. It is unfortunate that the representatives of the people who are supposed to stand against bad customs and superstitions promote bad practices. This trend has not only led to lack of awareness in the society, but traditions and superstitions have hindered the path of change. Chhaupadi is not a tradition, it is an inhumane and bad practice that plays on health.
Instead of standing in the style of opposition to such evils, it is necessary to stand firmly against it. People's representatives should play a leading role for positive changes in the society by fully supporting the laws made by the state and the campaigns carried out.
– Pramod Paudel, Kathmandu-32, Pepsicola
