Opinion: 4 ways to address menstrual stigmas, taboos and discrimination

Like many news outlets, CNN ran a report on Dec. 22 reporting on the death of a 15-year-old Nepali girl. Smoke inhalation is all too common a problem in confined spaces where indoor cooking stoves are used. Rather, it was the location — a menstrual hut — and the fact that the girl from western Nepal was taking part in chhaupadi. This is a common practice in some parts of Nepal where women, considered “unclean” during menstruation, are ritually separated from the rest of the community for the duration of their period. 

This was the second such death within a month in this far western part of Nepal. While the absolute numbers of deaths are low — notwithstanding the tragedy of each individual case — the wider issue at stake here is the systematic exclusion of girls and women from society. Exclusion from education. From health care. From access to basic services. From opportunity. All over something as biologically familiar as menstruation.

Chhaupadi is only one example of the many cultural practices that discriminate against women and girls during menstruation. In a recent listicle, Plan International USA highlighted the wide-ranging sets of beliefs surrounding menstruation across the globe. The list was a powerful reminder that stigmas and taboos combine in all societies in ways that create and reinforce harmful social norms. Tellingly, the listicle included examples of taboos from relatively prosperous countries such as South Africa and even right here in the U.S., emphasizing the point that this is not just an issue for countries undergoing rapid economic development.