In a case of shocking social apathy, a 15-year-old girl died in Nepal after she was banished to a shed outside the village during her menstruating cycle.
Some Hindus view menstruating women as impure and are forced to remain in a hut or cowshed for days in parts of Nepal, a practice known as chhaupadi.
Under the practice, women are banned from taking part in normal family activities during menstruation and after childbirth, and can have no contact with men of the household.
The custom was, however, outlawed by the government over a decade ago, but it is still prevalent among many village communities in the country, especially in western Nepal.
The victim, a ninth grade student, was found dead at a cowshed in Gagra of Achham district, police said.
However, a police officer investigating into the case said that the incident was due to suffocation as the Chhaupadi shed was too congested.
"We are investigating the case. We suspect that she died of suffocation from the smoke of a fire she lit to keep herself warm," local district inspector Badri Prasad Dhakal said.
Meanwhile, Women's Development Officer of the district, Bhagawati Aryal, said that more than 10 girls and women have lost their lives due to this practice since 2006.
