Chhaupadi', bringing awareness on menstruation taboo, using design strategy

Abstract

In the Western part of Nepal, in remote Himalayan villages, menstruating girls and women are banished to a faraway shed or dingy-huts because people believe that they are untouchable (B. S. Schultz). This custom is called 'Chhaupadi', Chhau meaning, menstruation, and Padi, meaning women. Formal education about menstruation is not provided in schools until grade eight; by that time almost all the girls already have their periods. These topics are stigmatized even among family members. Just some outcomes associated with Chhaupadi include infection, suffocation, snakebites, malnutrition, rape, and even death (Nguyen). The Supreme Court of Nepal banned Chhaupadi in 2005 and criminalized it in 2017(Robinson, 193-94). But the ingrained tradition is still alive. After the huts and sheds were demolished by women's rights activists, girls and women were banned to forests and caves.

The goal of this thesis is to address the social issue 'Chhaupadi' custom through meaningful visual design. The power of a strong visual can help viewers develop an empathetic understanding of social issues such as the menstruation taboo. This thesis covers the design of materials including storybooks, posters, motion graphics, and a website to reach the two sets of target audiences to bring awareness on 'Chhaupadi' custom. The first target audience is young girls and boys (ten years and above) in Western Nepal and the second target audience is the general public (adults aged eighteen and above). This thesis also reviews the historical backgrounds of visual narrative, collage narrative, the influence of historical evidence of moving sequences, background and basics of website design, visual influences, and several methodologies used to design the projects.