For 2 billion women and girls worldwide, menstruation is a monthly reality yet according to the United Nations, 1 in 3 girls in South Asia know nothing about menstruation prior to beginning it.
In villages in Nepal’s far west region, menstruation takes on a different meaning. It means that women and girls are oftentimes banished to a shed, isolated from their families for the duration of their period.
This long-held practice, known as chaupadi, comes from ancient Hindu scriptures that consider secretions associated with menstruation and childbirth to be religiously “impure,” deeming women “untouchable.”