KATHMANDU, Nepal — A woman and her two sons have died in a remote town in Nepal because of a tradition in which women are exiled from their homes and forced to live in huts during menstruation, a government administrator said Thursday. The 35-year-old woman and her sons were found dead by family and villagers in a small hut next to their family home on Wednesday morning, said Bajura District chief administrator Chetraj Baral. He suspected they died of smoke inhalation because it is cold in the mountains and they kept a small fire to keep warm. Baral said he is consulting with government lawyers on whether to press charges against the family. The custom — called “Chhaupadi” — continues in many parts of the majority Hindu Himalayan country, especially in the western hills.

Source: Washington Post January 10, 2019 06:24 UTC