Nepali Hindu leaders ban women from school during menstruation

30 Oct. 2013: In Nepal, Hindu leaders have banned thousands of Hindu female students from going to school when they menstruate because they are deemed impure. Once limited to confessional schools, now the ban covers many public schools in Nepal's western and northern districts. A Hindu leader and educator Chintamani Yogi told Asianews "such a practice is not part of Hindu tradition". Anyone who uses religion to impose it, is lying. The ruling by religious authorities in the western and northern districts has raised eyebrows in the government as well. For this reason, it "is taking action to avoid these phony practices, but it will be a gradual process," Nepali Education Minister Madhav Poudel said. Poudel explained that his ministry does not have accurate data on how many schools have joined the ban, but it is estimated that thousands of girls and young women are victims of these absurd traditions.
The Catholic Church has been on the forefront in the fight against religious traditions that discriminate against women, especially the Society of Jesus, which runs hundreds of schools and colleges in the country.
Source: Asianews