Journey to Impurity

• Photographer
  Maria Contreras Coll
• Agency / Studio
  Freelance
• Prizes
  Bronze in Editorial/General News

The first menstruation is a turning point for every young woman around the world. In Nepal, this entry into adulthood is tied to a loss of purity. In the rural areas, menstruating women are exiled for a week, a practice known as a "Chhaupadi Partha". Some are forced to live among the wild stock to please the Gods. Although these restrictions have existed for decades, Nepali society is changing rapidly. For the first time in the country's history, a new generation of young people is reinventing this tradition, making them their own.