Shuklafanta Muncipality-8 becomes tougher against those embracing social evils

KANCHANPUR, Aug 4: The local government in the Kanchanpur, the district in Province 7, has decided to deprive of those people embracing Chhaupadi of local level services.

The Shuklafanta Municipality-8 had decided to cease ward facilities for those unwilling to undo this harmful social and cultural tradition. Chhaupadi is the banishment of menstruating women and women in post-natal state from home.

Women in periods are viewed as impure and are forced to stay in isolation (huts, cowsheds) at least for the first five days. They are not allowed to touch public water taps and supposed not to eat dairy products and other nutritious food. New mothers also have the similar fate.

According to Ward Chair Bahadur Mahara, service seekers will be first interrogated whether they are following the tradition that remains as a taboo in the Hindu society.

Incidents as women dying from snakebites, attacks by wild animals, being raped and murdered, caught of various sorts of infections in isolated hut, their deaths from snakebites, attacks by wild animals are not uncommon in the village.

Though it is criminalization, this tradition is reportedly taking place secretly. So far, the Ward has cut off its facilities for over a dozen of people.

Likewise, it seeks commitments from those involved in domestic violence, child marriage, age-gap marriage, drug abuse, the families having no toilets at home, not administering a full course of vaccination on their children and not sending children to schools.

The Ward Office a year ago had come up with a provision of denying public service to the people producing alcohol, sale and consumption. The provision is in force since then. RSS