Although all the huts were demolished during the Chhaugoth Mukt campaign six years ago, they are being rebuilt in some places.
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Mangalsen Municipality has announced that it will take legal action against those who stay in or force them to stay in Chhaugath during menstruation or childbirth and will suspend social security allowances and other services.
After the news ‘Women in villages near the headquarters stay in a hut for 10 days’ was published in Kantipur on November 3, a team of stakeholders held an interaction in Khimada village of Mangalsen Municipality-11 on Wednesday. In some wards of Mangalsen Municipality, which was declared a hut-free municipality six years ago, women are still kept in a hut even after giving birth, and now going through legal proceedings is the last option, said Padam Bohara, the mayor of Mangalsen Municipality.
In an interaction program held with the mayor, deputy mayor, police and other public representatives, women and girls were forced to stay in a hut for 7 days every month. Nirmala Bhandari of Mangalsen Municipality-11 Khimada said that she is forced to stay in a hut for 7 days during menstruation due to pressure from her family. She said that women and girls here are still suffering from the pain of staying in a hut for 7 days.
‘Everyone says we should stay at home. But in this village, no one stays at home during menstruation. The problem is happening at home. They are not able to understand. There is a mentality that one should stay outside after getting a chhao,' she said, 'We must obey what the elders say at home. There is a mentality that one should not touch a chhao. It is more important to explain to the people at home than to us. I am still suffering. I am not able to explain at home.'
Nar Bahadur Bhandari, the ward chair of ward number 11, said that during the Chhaugoth-free campaign six years ago, all the cowsheds were demolished and new chhaugoths were built. He said that within the next week, the locals will be made responsible for removing the chhaugoths and will be given time to manage the management of staying at home during menstruation and childbirth. He said that if the locals do not comply, they will seek the help of the police and administration.
'The news that Chhaugoths and Sutkari are kept in the cowsheds in the municipality of the capital spread everywhere. It was very shameful. In this ward, we will take responsibility for the management,' said Ward Chairman Bhandari, 'The announcement has been made from here that families living in and forced to live in chhaugoths will be deprived of various recommendations and service facilities. I am also committed to this.'
Mangalsen Municipality has been conducting public awareness programs on the chhaugoth practice for a decade, but it has not had any effect, so now it has to go to the legal process, said Mayor Bohara. 'The municipality has been declared a chhaugoth-free municipality after ensuring that there are no chhaugoths in any ward. Not only public awareness, but also legal awareness has reached everyone. Legal action is the last option for those who pretend not to understand even though they understand,' said Mayor Bohara, 'We have said that public awareness should be raised for so many years, we have launched various campaigns. The state has also invested a lot in such programs. But there has been no return. Now everyone must obey the law.'
After the implementation of the National Criminal Code-2074, the practice of Chhaupadi, which forces menstruating or postpartum women to live separately in a cowshed, hut or away from home, has been deemed illegal. The government has included this practice in the list of punishable offenses through Section 168(3). According to the law, anyone who forces a woman to live outside her home because she is considered unclean due to menstruation, or deprives her of basic facilities such as health care, security or sanitation can be punished with imprisonment for up to three months, a fine of up to three thousand rupees, or both.
