Hon. Mohna Ansari participates in Nepal Literature Festival panel discussion on “Chhau Bidroha”

Hon. Mohna Ansari (second from left), Member of the National Human Rights Commission, and Board member of Barbara Foundation, contributed to a panel discussion of the eighth edition of Nepal Literature Festival ongoing in Pokhara on December 16, 2019. The discussion titled “Chhau Bidroha” focused on menstrual health, stigma, superstitions and discrimination associated with menstruation in the Nepali context with particular reference to the discriminatory tradition of Chhaupadi prevalent in Far-west Nepal that forces girls and women during their menstruation to live in animal sheds, putting their health at risk and also resulting in deaths. Along with Hon. Ansari, the panel included Achham-based journalist Menuka Dhungana and poet Nawaraj Parajuli. The discussion was moderated by journalist Raj Sargam.