Dignity, hygiene and security

WOMEN AND GIRLS

In many contexts, women are responsible for water collection and domestic chores. Yet they may find it difficult to participate in community decision-making. A factor as insignificant as the location of toilets, showers or a water point can have a severe impact on the daily lives of women and girls.

The distance between water and sanitation services and homes can make even the simplest daily tasks, such as using the toilet or fetching water for household chores, much more difficult. A woman caring for young children is unlikely to leave her home to go to the toilet, if it is far away, or to go to the water point if the collection time is too long.

Worrying survival practices have developed: not having a toilet nearby, one in three women prefer to relieve themselves in the open air, close to where they live, which increases the psychological stress due to the fear of being seen and the feeling of loss of dignity. Many women say they prefer to wait until nightfall to take care of their personal hygiene, making them “prisoners” during the day.

Gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual assault are also a significant barrier. Women and girls who prefer to relieve themselves after dark, out of sight, face an increased risk to their physical safety. Today, we know that one in three women (and girls) have already been sexually assaulted. This very often leaves women (and girls) with an impossible choice between hygiene, safety and dignity.

The management of first menstruation, between the ages of 10 and 19, is particularly problematic for adolescent girls who, depending on the context, face more restrictions on their movements and behavior than other groups. Very rarely included in discussions regarding specific community needs, adolescent girls have little opportunity to express concerns about their feminine hygiene or safety.

The issue of the economic inclusion of women and adolescent girls in water and sanitation programs is also a challenge. In some crisis contexts, women and adolescent girls often have less access to financial resources to meet their needs. But it is very complicated for them to obtain paid work around water access programs or to receive training on the maintenance of WASH infrastructure (schedules in conflict with their domestic chores, childcare responsibilities, lack of access to feminine hygiene products, etc.). However, they are expected on a voluntary basis to ensure the cleaning of latrines or common areas.

Less involved in decision-making, less informed, children have fewer opportunities to say ‘no’ and are highly dependent on their parents or other adults to provide for their needs and safety. However, many WASH responses do not systematically take into account the presence of children in the target population – and therefore the need to incorporate appropriate facilities such as toilets and washbasins that are height and size appropriate, or large enough to allow the adults on whom they depend to assist them.

Forced to use unsuitable devices or systems, children are thus exposed to health risks, but also to risks of physical abuse through their proximity to other adults in sanitary spaces.

the children

Less involved in decision-making, less informed, children have fewer opportunities to say ‘no’ and are highly dependent on their parents or other adults to provide for their needs and safety. However, many WASH responses do not systematically take into account the presence of children in the target population – and therefore the need to incorporate appropriate facilities such as toilets and washbasins that are height and size appropriate, or large enough to allow the adults on whom they depend to assist them.

Forced to use unsuitable devices or systems, children are thus exposed to health risks, but also to risks of physical abuse through their proximity to other adults in sanitary spaces.

persons with reduced mobility

They often feel “invisible”. People living with a disability, like older people, may have reduced mobility and therefore special needs. Yet they are very often under-represented in community participation actions. In a context of crisis, they are also exposed to increased risks of neglect or moral and physical violence due to the erosion of social safety nets and community support networks.

Without their specific needs taken into consideration, people living with disabilities and the elderly encounter difficulties in the daily use of water points and sanitary facilities: due to mobility difficulties, they may inadvertently touch feces when using standard toilets, or slip on the wet surfaces of water points or shower areas. These difficulties increase their psychological stress related to the use of facilities and accentuate their sense of loss of dignity.

LGBT+ COMMUNiTy and marginalized group

LGBT+ communities and marginalized groups are very often unable to share the same spaces and infrastructures as the rest of the population due to cultural taboos but also due to psychological pressure, threats and physical violence.