A 21-year-old Nepali woman died of suffocation in a windowless "menstruation hut" after she lit a fire to keep warm, say police. They can be forced to sleep outside in huts or cattle sheds, and are banned from touching some foods, religious icons, and men. There have been several cases of suffocation, and at least one teenage girl has died after being bitten by a snake. Nepal banned the traditional practice of exiling menstruating women and girls from the family home in 2005, and criminalised it in 2017 - but it remains widespread in rural areas. Under the law, anyone who makes a woman observe the custom faces a three-month jail sentence and a $30 (£23) fine.

Source: The Star February 04, 2019 12:33 UTC