The government has demolished more than eight thousand ‘Chhaugoths’ as part of its campaign to eliminate the evil practice of Chhaupadi. Chhaupadi is a cultural practice in which menstruating women are made to stay away from the house and family in temporary hut called chhaugoth for three to five days. The government, on December 25, 2019, announced the campaign of demolishing the chhaugoths after the women in Karnali and Sudur Paschim area continued to suffer from discrimination and inconvenience in the nameof this evil social and cultural practice. So far 8,617 chhaugoths have been pulled down as part of this campaign. The Police Headquarters stated that as of February 27, six thousand three hundred and eighty two chhaugoths have been demolished in Sudur Paschim State and 2,235 chhaugoths have been pulled down in Karnali. The largest number of chhaugoths (4,897) has been demolished so far in Achham district while 1,924 have been razed in Surkhet, Police Spokesman Shailesh Thapa Chhetri said. Similarly, 510 chhaugoths have been pulled down in Bajura, 342 in Doti, 273 in Kailali, 259 in Dailekh, 197 in Kanchanpur, 140 in Bajhang, 30 in Jajarkot, 20 in Kalilot, 23 in Dadeldhura and two in Salyan districts so far. The Police Spokesman said awareness programmes against chhaupadi practice have been held and 965 families have been sensitized through them in Karnali and Sudur Paschim states. Four hundred and ninety nine families in Karnali and 466 families in Sudur Paschim have been made aware. The government had allocated Rs 10 million for conducting public awareness campaign against chhaupadi and chhaugoth. The government had also stopped providing government facilities to persons keeping chhaugoths.
