I was locked in a room for seven days because I was on my period

EXCLUSIVE I was locked in a room for seven days because I was on my period Women and girls in Nepal are locked in rooms for seven days during their cycle They cannot touch food for fear it will rot and cannot look at any male relatives The custom is part of a widespread cultural practice known as Chhaupadi By Sara Mcgiff For Dailymail.Com Published: 13:02, 17 August 2024 | Updated: 13:02, 17 August 2024 e-mail View comments Sumina Kumal was 12 years old when she had her first period at a relative's home. At the insistence of her mother, Sumina isolated in a room for days because she feared what the neighbors would think if she let her daughter have free reign.

And, for three days, she sat there. 'I was not allowed to go out and see the sun, and it was the wintertime. I just couldn't bear it so I went against my mother and went outside to see the sunlight.

' Now Sumina has learned to cope by viewing the isolation as 'three days of rest' and 'dissociates' the idea that her parents insist on following such a custom. But this is not an isolated incident. Sumina Kumal was just 12 years old when she was first isolated in a room for days during her period These menstrual huts are typically made of mud or wood and located miles away from the main house It is instead a Nepali cultural practice known as Chhaupadi - a menstrual taboo that prohibits women and girls from participating in normal daily activities during their menstrual cycle.

I traveled to Nepal and was shocked by the realit.