Is time for our world. Kathmandu, the city i call home. My Friend Nirmala and i never felt restricted here, until we started our periods. Suddenly there were lots of things we were not meant to do, like cook or worship. My college friend, shes like im having my period, im treated like a queen, i dont have to work in kitchen, i dont have to go to temples, thats not treating you like a queen, thats like treating you like youre untouchable. The rules didnt make much sense to us growing up. My mother used to tell me that you shouldnt touch plants or they will die. Periods are still deeply taboo here in nepal. And while things in the city are gradually changing, we heard in the remote far west its very different. So were leaving our urban life to travel to the mountains, to discover why the taboos are still so powerful. And ask why some people are so scared of menstruating women that they wont even let them inside the house. They have to sleep in there, im really shocked, this is a place where they keep cattle. My name is divya, i recently graduated and live with my parents. Theyre very liberal but sometimes i cant take part in celebrations as im considered impure by my extended family. It was a festive season, i was preparing everything for the worship and i did everything, i worked for one day and i suddenly had my period and then everybody was like purify everything, she touched it, lets not do it now, it has to get purified before we worship the god. I think what it is when we ask our parents why we do this, they dont have a clear answer because theyre like god will be angry. I feel shes very brave, she stood by her words, thats ok now my daughter doesnt have to go through this and i think im going to continue that. I cant believe how much things have changed since my mum was young. But my Friend Nirmala and i have heard its very different outside the city. We know that in far west nepal we still hear that its the poorest part of our country and we really wanted to know what the women there are going through during menstruation periods, thats the reason we want to travel to the far west. Weve never done anything quite like this before. Our trip will take us to some of the most remote parts of the country where the rules around menstruation are politically strict. It takes several days to get to the far west. Our first stop is dang valley in the fertile plains of terai, near the indian border. Weve arranged to meet a local Health Worker to tell us about the situation for women here. We are just a few miles from the airport and we were shocked by what we find. The practice of sleeping outside the house during menstruation is known as chhaupadi. Its been going on for generations. Because menstruating women are considered impure, they face other restrictions too. She says its an hours walk to the river so women can wash during their period. She doesnt feel comfortable, she wont be able to. I thought i was facing a lot of restrictions, a lot of problems, but when i come here and see the people, this is something out of my imagination. She has been campaigning against chhaupadi for years as sleeping out without access to clean water can cause Serious Health problems. She tells us that chhaupadi was brought here by migrants from the far west so thats where were heading, deep into the mountains of bhajan to try and find out more about this ancient tradition. But what should be a ten hour drive takes far longer as its the hindu festival of colours. And everybody is celebrating. We eventually get on our way to this small village. When we arrive a local teenager agrees to show me around. Almost every family in this village practices chhaupadi. She tells me women will wear the same close and sleep out almost out for four nights, during that time they cant touch men or eat certain foods, afterwards they are purified with cow urine and return to normal life. The very fun part they told me was that they dont follow it, they touch their brothers and fathers and they come to their own house after menstruating and they dont even purify themselves after touching other women who are menstruating. I think things are changing. I think it wont last for long any more. And while ive been continuing to talk, nirmala has met a young woman who is pushing the boundaries even further. She is in her early 20s like us and hasnt slept in the hut for two years. There are several hundred people in the village. Most of the young men work abroad as labourers in india or the gulf. So its the older generation who make the rules. We dont find the older generation saying no to traditions, its the younger ones who are experimenting and saying no this is not true. So i think its our generation who wants to explore new things, i think this generation will bring change. But change comes very slowly, and even in cosmopolitan kathmandu, some of the taboos still remain. I told my friends that i had my period in the school and they were shocked to see me. Really, why were they shocked . They were just like how can you come on the first day, you should be inside the room, you should not go in the kitchen, you should not touch any boys, they were pretty shocked about it. Are they still following those restrictions . Yes like i have seen my friends, they have a special room just because they have a period and mostly in the houses where their grandparents are, they mostly follow it. While we can laugh about the restrictions, they can have serious consequences. Several girls have died sleeping out. Just last year, a 15 year old suffocated while trying to light a fire to keep herself warm in a chhau hut and according to my local priest, there is nothing in Hindi Scripture that says they need to practice chhaupadi at all. The government has been trying to change things. Chhaupadi was declared illegal in 2005, but that hasnt made much difference to people. We have heard such a lot about chhau and want to experience it for ourselves. The women inside are members of the same family, this woman only started her period six months ago so this is all new to her. In an effort to end the practice, International Ngos and local government have been working together to educate local people. And several areas have now been declared officially chhau free. But we want to see what that really means so were travelling to a chhau free village. A localjournalist is travelling with us to show us the way. Here we go. Its a bumpy ride. And we dont get very far. Something really terrible happened, our carjust got into the mud and it didnt come out. I think we have got some work to do. Unexpected heavy rain at the night before has made the roads almost impassable. It worked. We eventually get on our way. We dont want to get stuck in the mud again so we decide to walk into the village. And initially people here are reluctant to speak to us about what has changed. But not everyone has been so accepting of the changes. Im really shocked, this is a place where they keep cattle. We expected things to be very different here. With girls sleeping in their own rooms. But it didnt look that different to the previous village. Just demolishing the huts will not make a difference because its their mentality, their beliefs, its their thinking which has to change, its notjust the huts that are demolished that will change it. We want to know if the people in charge think the chhau free policy is working. We are shocked that even government officials admit the lies arent working. And as knocking huts down doesnt seem to discourage people either, it looks like its down to our generation to try to change things. Its time for us to head home, but as we leave, i hope that the girls will continue to push the boundaries of tradition. So that their daughters can earn the simple right to sleep inside. Miso dreamt taken place with the bank weekend. Sunday will shape up to be the best ever many of us regards to sunshine, but green did pushing in southern and south western areas, very wet conditions in cornwall and devon. Further north east are the best the sunshine, with strong winds. The week ahead it looks like High Pressure will dominate suffer many of us it will mostly dry but because there will be and easterly wind, it will be cooler here. The higher temperatures and the best of The Sun Chang will be in western part of the uk. For bank holiday monday, this area of low pressure will affect most of england and. That could be heavy and persistent rain in south wales, South West England and along the south coast. Elsewhere, a mixture of sunshine and charity, some of them could be heavy and underage through the course of the afternoon. Scotland and Northern Ireland will have the best of the drier weather, and it could get up the 18 degrees in the far north of scotland. On tuesday, the area of low pressure will move away to the south. It will be drier on tuesday. A ridge of High Pressure will build on from the north. It will fade in cool winds the eastern coastal areas and thicker cloud here, maybe the odd shower, so the better spells of sunshine will be towards the south and west with the best of the temperatures. On wednesday, the easterly winds begin to pick up in strength and little bit and would bring in cooler airfrom scandinavia, so it will feel quite cold on the eastern coastal areas through wednesday and an area of low pressure in the near content will be given more showers to east anglia and the south east. Ten or 11 celsius on the east coast, further inland the best of The Sun Chang will be further south into the west. On until thursday, High Pressure will dominate the scene again. Strong winds in eastern and southern parts of the uk, which will feed and cloud and showers to east anglia and the south east. It will feel cold for the time of year on the coast. The best of the sunshine will be further west. Day by day, temperatures will be falling a little bit as we continue to pull in cooler air from the north east. Little bit as we continue to pull in cooler airfrom the north east. By friday, science britain stronger winds and rain moving into the south. Next weekend we will see an area of low pressure located towards the south of the uk, and High Pressure holding on across the north. That means will be more u nsettled north. That means will be more unsettled across the south, more settled in the north. West of scotla nd settled in the north. West of scotland cutesy scenes like this, for example. Further south and east we will see more grey skies, outbreaks of rain and it will feel cooler. The wind will feel cool as it is coming in from the east, strong at times in the south in the middle part of the day, the High Pressure continues to bring dry weather to the north, but always that risk of rain in the south. Well keep you up to date. Tonight at 10 00pm the conservatives and Labour Go Head to head on taxes, promising policies fair to everyone if they win the election. Theresa may says no to vat rises, but theres no pledge on keeping current levels of income tax or national insurance. We are the party that wants low taxes low and medium earners. We have no plans to increase the level of tax. Im very clear that i wa nt level of tax. Im very clear that i want make specific proposals on taxes unless i am absolutely sure i can deliver on them. We are the party that wants low taxes for low and medium earners. The Conservative Party are the party that wants low taxes for the high earners. Britains champion heavyweight, anthonyjoshua, reflects on that extraordinary victory, over Wladimir Klitschko at wembley
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