The illegal custom, known as "Chhaupadi," forbids women from participating in a range of everyday activities during their periods . During this time, women are often confined to a small structure, known locally as a "menstruation hut," where they are expected to sleep every night. But campaigners say Bogati's death shows that women and girls are still being isolated because of a normal bodily function and the stigma surrounding menstruation remains deadly. As well as being isolated in huts, women and girls are forbidden from touching other people, cattle, green vegetables and plants, fruits, according to a 2011 United Nations report . Even teachers and health workers in these areas, she said, are not equipped with the understanding of menstruation as a biological science.

Source: CNN February 05, 2019 06:22 UTC