#GIVEASHIT
Are Toilets a Human Right?
In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 64/292, which “Recognizes the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights”.
Does that make toilets a human right?
The concept of a right to sanitation is concerned with its necessity in order to realize the other human rights, like those included in this list (e.g. health, nutrition, dignity and an adequate standard of living). The UN High Commissioner for Refugees emphasizes that adequate sanitation is necessary for maintaining access to clean water, which is critical to the rights to quality of life and health.
Making sanitation a human right requires that it apply universally (i.e. to everyone without discrimination). This equality is especially important for women, as menstruating women are stigmatised in many cultural practices.
For instance, the rural Nepali practice of chaupadi requires that "impure" menstruating women remove themselves from contact with other people. They are often forced to stay in sheds outside the house, or in other unclean environments, which often expose women to the elements. If sanitation is formally acknowledged as a human right, it would supersede cultural norms that guarantee the equal humanity of all people – a right applies to everyone, always, even when they’re menstruating.
In fact, the UN General Assembly’s Human Rights Council also recently reaffirmed the human right to drinking water and sanitation with a specific focus on menstruation. It notes that women and girls’ inequality can be worsened by inadequate menstrual hygiene.
This Human Rights Council resolution and its 2010 resolution, which was adopted shortly after the General Assembly’s resolution mentioned above, indicate that States have the primary responsibility for ensuring realisation of these rights. Nepal’s interim constitution is fairly progressive in recognising the right to sanitation. Article 16 on the Right Regarding Environment and Health includes the statement that “Every person shall have the right to live in clean environment,” which includes sanitation and hygiene.
Of course, moving from recognising to implementing a right isn’t the easiest step. It's worth noting that being a right does not obligate States to provide toilets. Infrastructure is critical to realising adequate sanitation (and large scale infrastructure requires State or major communal action), but the right doesn’t actually require toilets for all. Recognition of sanitation as a right focuses on the need for environmental hygiene to achieve health and an adequate standard of living.
Rather than mandating toilets, the right to sanitation obligates States in ensuring that there is an environment conducive to realising sanitation services that are available, acceptable, accessible, affordable and of sufficient quality, as noted by Catarina de Albuquerque, the previous Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation. That doesn’t require a flush toilet in all circumstances but may require hardware or infrastructure of some type, although de Albuquerque also makes clear that individuals are expected to contribute to realising this right. States are obligated to enable this right only if limiting factors (like poverty) prevent people from achieving this standard on their own. Just as a side note – Manavta’s toilets aren’t your conventional flush toilets anyway!
So if toilets aren’t a right, what does a rights-based perspective bring to the issue?
It’s a call to action. It provides a legal framework that allows people to demand change, especially marginalized groups – rights are for everyone, not just the privileged. In Nepal, marginalized individuals include women and rural communities, populations that have been a focus of Manavta’s work.
Some groups in Nepal have started demanding, and achieving sanitation services and have used the language and obligation of human rights to do so. While States aren’t obligated to provide toilets, the language of rights allows prioritisation of sanitation services like water and wastewater connections. There is still significant progress to be made, and plenty of community-level work to be done. The right to sanitation is far from being realised in Nepal, which is why Manavta and other like-minded organisations continue to use toilets to lay the groundwork for health, dignity and an adequate standard of living.
Beyond The Toilet
The 21st Canadian Conference on Global Health was held in Ottawa this past week. The hot topic was sanitation, with emphasis on collaborative health measures like maternal health and malnutrition. Toilets play a huge role in decreasing maternal mortality because expecting mothers will be less exposed to diseases anemia and diarrhea. When sanitation is available people learn the importance of hand washing, infant mortality can be decreased by more than 1/3. WASH workshops are crucial for anyone working in our industry.
I went to Nepal for the first time in 2012 and ended up spending all year. When I wasn’t trekking the Himalaya or chilling at Phat Kath (see ThankBack Thursday), I could be found hunkered down learning the ropes of ‘international development.’ Before Martin and I pursued our passion for poo, I worked alongside an incredible group of Nepali women running a local organization named Chhimeki (translation: community). Their purpose was to improve the nutritional behaviour of pre-natal mothers and their families living in the Kathmandu valley. It was this experience that helped me truly understand the power of education. For the most part, families did not have adequate education on the importance of a nutritional diet, many of them didn't even have enough food to put on the table. Chhimeki empowers mothers by investing in agriculture and teaching families about food and nutrition. Chronic malnutrition and diarrhea are serious problems across Nepal – it plays a role in 60% of all child deaths. (UNICEF, 2011). Further, it is estimated that 50% of the 2.5 million that live in the Kathmandu Valley are forced to defecate in the open every day. Anyone who has seen this majestic city understands that human shit (and massive cow dumps) are a huge issue.
Whats the point?
The 21st Canadian Conference on Global Health was held in Ottawa this past week. The hot topic was sanitation, with emphasis on collaborative health measures like maternal health and malnutrition. Toilets play a huge role in decreasing maternal mortality because expecting mothers will be less exposed to diseases anemia and diarrhea. Moreover, educating mothers and their families about both nutrition and hygiene, can reduce infant mortality by more than 1/3. WASH workshops involving collaborative health measures are crucial for anyone working in our industry.
At Manavta, we are always seeking partners who support our collaborative health programs. If you are interested in joining our growing team of researchers or if you want to learn more about sanitation, we would love for you to contact us, become a partner or join our team.