KANCHANPUR, July 15: The District Administration Office (DAO), Kanchanpur, has called on all nine local levels within the district to launch a special campaign to demolish Chhaugoth, the menstrual hut. Menstruating women and girls are confined to the Chhaugoth, an outdoor shed, as a part of the Chhau practice.
Issuing a notice on Monday, the DAO, Kanchanpur, also called for an urgent action that would put an end to the ill practice of Chhau. The DAO’s call comes in the wake of the death of Kamala Damai, 28, of Nigali in ward no. 1 in Krishnapur Municipality, who lost her life to snakebite while staying in a Chhaugoth during her menstruation last Saturday, said Chief District Officer of Kanchanpur, Laxman Dhakal.
"The ill practice of Chhau is still prevalent. A woman lost her life due to this. Therefore, to uproot this ill practice, it is imperative to launch a special campaign to break down such Chhaugoth," CDO Dhakal asserted.
According to him, all the local levels within the districts have been urged to launch a special campaign to dismantle all Chhaugoth.
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Following the tragedy, the Krishnapur Municipality last Sunday issued a directive mandating the pulling down of the Chhaugoth within 15 days.
Khagendra Prasad Bhatta, Chief Administrative Officer at the Municipality, shared, "We have instructed all the wards to identify and inspect the housing Chhaugoth and demolish the structures within 15 days." Bhatta warned that those disobeying the directive would be fined Rs 10,000.
However, local leaders admit that elimination of this deeply rooted practice is not easy.
Mohan Bahadur Basnet, chairperson of ward no. 1, divulged that although the ward has been running a campaign to demolish Chhaugoth for the past two years, it has had little to no success.
"We demolished many Chhaugoths despite facing verbal abuse, insult and confrontation. But much to our dismay, people continued to rebuild the Chhaugoth after we returned, destroying those shelters," he recalled.
According to him, menstruating women and girls still choose to stay in Chhaugoth due to the superstition that if they stayed together with their family at home during menstrual time, their family deities would be angry.
He informed that there are still more than 200 Chhaugoth within his ward.
It is worth remembering that the government had criminalized the centuries-old Chhau custom in 2017. But the continuity of superstitious practice is taking a toll on women and girls.
