World Toilet Day

World Toilet Day! 

What is it? When is it? Have you ever heard of this special day before? World Toilet Day is celebrated on 19th November annually. World Toilet Day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis (UN 2019). This day targets in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which ensures access to clean water and sanitation for all by 2030. World Toilet Day was established by the World Toilet Organisation in 2001 and was made an official UN day in 2013 (UN 2019). World Toilet Day has annual themes that changes every year. This year, in 2019, the theme was ‘Leaving No One Behind’. This campaign’s purpose is to bring people being left behind without sanitation and the socio-economic and environmental impacts of inaction. The theme of ‘leaving no one behind’ was aimed to ensure that everyone had access to sanitation by targeting to eliminate open defecation especially for women and girls in vulnerable situations. 

Situation around the world (UN 2019): 

• 4.2 billion people live without safely managed sanitation  
• With at least 673 million people still practicing open deification around the world 
• Poor sanitation is the cause of 432,000 diarrheal deaths every year 

These numbers are astonishing. This year's World Toilet day has broadcasted a worldwide message that: 

“A toilet is not just a toilet, it’s a lifesaver, dignity protector and opportunity maker.” (UN 2019) 

Toilets, a lifesaver: 

Sanitation is a basic human right that all must have access to. Safe functioning toilets are one of most important and common contributors to having a positive impact in sanitation and public health. Without toilets, deadly diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid spread rapidly and dangerously. UNICEF estimate that over 750 children under the age of five die every day from diarrhoea due to poor sanitation. Toilets saves live. How? A safe toilet accompanied with soap for handwashing is an effective barrier to the transmission of diseases in many poor countries in the African continent. There are flushed toilets which use water to dispose of human waste through a piped sewer system, which is not a good fit in many sub-Saharan African countries. There are also septic tanks, which are used in remote rural areas connected to toilets, in which it acts as a sewage system and is treated and decomposed. This form of sanitation requires periodic maintenance and cleaning (Unilever 2012). Toilets prevent the spread of diseases which prevent the likelihood of death through diseases like diarrhoea. 

Toilets, dignity protectors and safety: 

Toilets and sanitation in general are often stigmatised and tabooed by many communities, and often some groups are marginalised and ignored, therefore these groups suffer. “Leaving no one behind” means to include these marginalised groups, especially women and girls. Girls and women are in the most dangerous situation. WaterAid has estimated that nearly 123 women globally live with the fear and indignity of relieving themselves in the open or unhygienic toilets. These women and girls are at risk of sexual harassment, violence and rape due to the lack of sanitation facilities. The brings further fear and embarrassment for females. As a result, most women wait until dark to relieve themselves, to avoid embarrassment but this brings about dangers of attacks (UN 2014). However, toilets provide safety and security to women. In Kenya, women without access to toilets are at 40% higher risk of sexual assault than women with access. Its 50% higher in India (iD4D 2019). It is ultimately evident that women with toilet facilities generally feel more secure and safety. But also, toilets empower women. For example, in Kibera, one of Africa’s largest slums, the AFD helped finance 50 public sanitary facilities with support from a Kenyan NGO (Gilquin 2017). This project significantly increased the safety of women but also women were empowered with the management of these facilities. Projects like these on toilet facilities have helped protect the dignity of women and provide safety and gender equality in society. 

Toilets, opportunity makers: 

Toilets are also opportunity makers. Firstly, toilets are great investments. It is stated by UNICEF that every dollar spent on sanitation has a return of $5.50. It is profitable and provides an economic opportunity to help those lack these services. Furthermore, these toilet and sanitary facilities provide the poor and marginalised groups like women with job opportunities to work within the sanitation management sector within their town or city. For example, there are sanitation workers who work with NGO’s like WaterAid, where women help maintain showers, toilets and innovative projects. They earn a steady wage which provides these women of becoming financially independent in rural towns. Another opportunity toilet provides to education to young girls. Globally, 1 in 3 school don’t have adequate toilets and 23% have not toilets at all as a result young schools miss school or don’t even attend school (UNICEF 2019). In sub-Saharan Africa 1 in 10 girls missed 20% of the school year due the lack of toilets (iD4D 2019). So, the introduction of toilet and sanitation facilities provide girls no excuse to not got to school, which ultimately improve awareness of sanitation and healthy living. 

Overall, World Toilet Day is major event in raising awareness and bringing people together to ensure the basic human right of access to adequate sanitation services. The 2019 theme of “Leaving no on behind” emphasised the importance to expand sanitation to access to the 4.2 billion people without safe managed sanitation facilities. There was greater focus placed on ensure equality between people, no matter who they are. Good sanitation is a basic right that protect the health of humans. World Toilet Day is a massive event perfectly encompasses the issues in the sanitation gap on our planet. 

Remember a toilet is not just a toilet.