For women in India and many Asian and African nations, lack of access to affordable, safe and clean toilets still poses a major health risk. Multiple studies and experts from around the world have repeatedly pointed out that this is a major public health concern in developing nations, and while it affects people across all genders, women face the heaviest burden.
Reports suggest that India’s 1.4 billion strong population still has low access to affordable and sanitary toilets. For example, a report by The Hindu suggests that as of 2013, nearly half of India’s population still practised open defecation, especially around open fields, bodies of water, etc. This poses a major health issue because of the high risk of the spread of infectious diseases. A 2019 study published in BMC Public Health adds that due to open defecation, “women are often at more risk of experiencing violence and multiple health vulnerabilities.” The disease risks include hookworm infestation, maternal anaemia, diarrheal diseases and undernutrition.
According to a government of India report, called “Access to toilets and the safety, convenience and self-respect of women in rural India”, the problem runs deeper than that. The report says that the “material reality of not having a toilet at home results in poor menstrual hygiene management and the withholding of food and water, leading to undernourishment, reproductive and bladder infections.” Such health issues are not only heightened for pregnant women but also increase the risk of chronic infections in young girls—leading to a long-term effect on their sexual, reproductive and even mental health.
Further, there is the additional danger of sexual harassment and assault from men, and the risk of animal attacks, which make open defecation extremely dangerous for women. The lack of a toilet, therefore, leads also to stigma, stress and anxiety. It is for these reasons that the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G) was launched in 2014. The report mentioned above states that over the last few years, more than 100 million household toilets have been constructed in rural India to prevent these health risks for women and girls. While over 40 per cent of India’s population practised open defecation before the launch of the mission, the World Bank says that now, only 15 per cent of the population does so.
However, experts reveal that just the construction of toilets won’t solve the issue. Without access to water and cleaning products, the toilets run the risk of becoming hotbeds for infections. Infrastructure and maintenance are therefore key. Public health and sanitation expert Sarita Vijay Panchang also revealed in a recent interview that while the construction of new public toilets under the mission is definitely a step in the right direction. Overcrowding, sewer overflows and personal safety concerns can lead to their own set of health issues for women—and thus need to be addressed going forward.