Amar Prakash, State Programme Director, WaterAid India emphasises that hygiene education stimulates positive behavioral change. In addition, a safe and effective learning environment entails providing access to WASH services in schools, especially when it comes to adolescent girls’ education. Inclusive infrastructure that is gender sensitive and considers the safety and health requirements of women, is the need of the hour
Gender equality in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) can only be achieved when both women and men have equal access to and control over WASH services and facilities. Biological and cultural factors, across geographies, have put the burden of inadequate WASH facilities predominantly on women, who are the primary caregivers within families, where they take on all roles from cooking, to washing and bathing, child-rearing, and sometimes also stepping out for work.
The problem in numbers:
A 2020 review of 59 research studies from 30 countries worldwide showcased the myriad ways in which women suffer inequalities in the WASH space, from being overwhelmingly burdened with carrying water for long distances for day-to-day usage, to women accessing sanitation facilities allowing Menstrual-Hygiene Management (MHM), and to using latrines that are safe, secure and personal.
The World Bank estimates that around 500 million women globally are unable to access adequate menstrual facilities for MHM, while 4.5 billion people are bereft of basic sanitation infrastructure.
Even closer home, in India too, this situation is not quite different. A 2015 report by Dasra found that about 23 per cent of girls in India drop out of school after they start menstruating, owing to an insufficient supply of sanitation facilities, information, and products.
While the situation has remarkably improved since the launch of the government’s marquee project Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), which aims to supply household tap water connections to all households in rural India by 2024, we still have some milestones to achieve.
Women need to have access to WASH
The sporadic distribution of tapped water connections particularly in rural settings adds to the physical burden for women as they are forced to walk for miles for ferrying water which also affects their mental health. This problem is not restricted to India alone but is a global problem as highlighted by a 2017 joint study by WHO and UNICEF. It is a barrier to their progress and affects their active participation in society. The United Nations Water data also suggests that access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene facilities are critical in ensuring that women are empowered to lead healthy, safe, and productive lives. This is in tune with SDG 6, which reinforces the importance of ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Hygiene education is a key facet
Inadequate knowledge and access to hygiene facilities can lead to different health problems, particularly among women, such as reproductive and urinary tract infections leading to future infertility and birth complications. Prevailing stigmas regarding the menstruation cycle among women further exacerbate the situation, preventing women from managing their periods safely and with dignity, while further perpetuating gender inequities and exclusion.
Hygiene education stimulates positive behavioral change. In addition, a safe and effective learning environment entails providing access to WASH services in schools, especially when it comes to adolescent girls’ education. Inclusive infrastructure that is gender sensitive and considers the safety and health requirements of women, is the need of the hour.
A remarkable initiative in building WASH infrastructure is the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G), which was launched by the government in 2014. As a part of the mission, over 100 million household toilets have been constructed in rural India, which has played a significant role in improving the quality of life for all members of the household, more so for women and girls. Not having a toilet at home results in poor menstrual hygiene management, while open defecation poses safety risks for women, further causing stress, anxiety, and stigma.
A study conducted by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation highlighted that there was a remarkable improvement in the safety and self-respect of women after the construction of toilets, with a large number of women (93 per cent) reporting that they were no longer afraid of being hurt by someone or harmed by animals while defecating. Moreover, 93 per cent of women reported no longer being afraid of contracting health infections, while 77 per cent of women reported feeling stress-free about changing absorbent material when required.
Involving women as decision-makers
It is crucial to involve women as decision-makers at the institutional, community, and household levels to ensure that women’s issues are addressed.
A brilliant initiative on this front is the JJM, where women have played a pivotal role right from the beginning. Besides being a part of planning and monitoring, they are also given training to undertake water quality testing from time to time. Through their participation in the village water and sanitation committees, women were able to voice concerns, enabling them to become powerful stakeholders in the local water and sanitation ecosystem, which enabled them to have greater access to and control over WASH services and facilities.
Another great initiative is the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), as a part of which, women-led SHGs and transgender groups have been integrated for decentralised waste management, which has positioned them as key service providers in the sanitation ecosystem. In addition to providing representation to vulnerable groups, this has proven to be a cost-effective solution to improve sanitation facilities, while improving livelihood opportunities for the SHG members.
Changing the social fabric at the community level
A society’s social institutions are often characterised by exploitation, political exclusion, and unequal access to resources. Involving women in formulating village action plans, where they play a key role in community mobilisation and the development of participatory decision-making processes is critical in ensuring that they have equitable access to resources. Additionally, it is imperative that they continue participating in the initiatives undertaken by the state such as the JJM and SBM so that they are empowered and can actively participate in the governance of WASH-related facilities.
Way forward
Although considerable progress in addressing the hygiene and healthcare needs of women in India has been made, we still have a long way to go in the path towards ensuring access to WASH facilities for all. A collaborative approach involving diverse government departments and development organisations, working on WASH and menstrual hygiene, the private sector, and community-based organisations is key to tackling this issue. This will function as a catalyst for change, in building sustainable and resilient WASH structures, and help in increasing investment in the sector. There is a need to combine strong national policies with substantive behavioural and social reforms, embedded in context-specific requirements, which can only be achieved through the adoption of a collaborative approach.
The SBM and the JJM are illustrative accounts of this, where the active participation of women in self-help groups and community-based organisations has been instrumental in generating awareness regarding the significance of water conservation, water management, and sanitation. Under the leadership of women across the length and breadth of the country, both JJM and SBM have successfully brought piped water supply to more than 11 crore rural households and created more than 2 lakhs ODF Plus villages.
This is a topic that requires urgent attention to continue the momentum towards ensuring that women get access to essential WASH services and to promote a change in the social attitudes that recognises the importance of hygiene and healthcare for women.