World Toilet day! 19 November
World Toilet Day is a day to take action. It is a day to raise awareness about all people who do not have access to a toilet - despite the human right to water and sanitation. It is a day to do something about it.
Of the world’s seven billion people, 2.5 billion people do not have improved sanitation. 1 billion people still defecate in the open. Women and girls risk rape and abuse because they have no toilet that offers privacy. The ‘silent’ sanitation crisis is a ticking time bomb which affects billions of people around the world.
We cannot accept this situation. Sanitation is a global development priority. This is why the United Nations General Assembly in 2013 designated 19 November as World Toilet Day. This day had previously been marked by international and civil society organizations all over the world but was not formally recognized as an official UN day until 2013Its genesis was met with mixed reactions; amusement, ridicule, laughter and support. Yet World Toilet Day continues to promote discourse and debate on toilets and sanitation, and is coordinated by UN-Water in collaboration with Governments and relevant stakeholders.
Why celebrate toilets? UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his Message for the World Toilet Day: "We have a moral imperative to end open defecation and a duty to ensure women and girls are not at risk of assault and rape, simply because they lack a sanitation facility."
Equality and dignity is the theme of World Toilet Day 2014. The campaign will inspire action to end open defecation and put spotlight on how access to improved sanitation leads to a reduction in assault and violence on women and girls. More about this here.
Having to defecate openly infringes on human safety and dignity. Women and girls risk rape and abuse as they wait until night falls because they lack of access to a toilet that offers privacy.
Where toilets do exist, additional inequalities present in usability. Toilets generally remain inadequate for populations with special needs, such as the disabled and elderly, and women and girls requiring facilities to manage menstrual hygiene.
Without accessible toilets for these populations, they remain excluded from opportunities to attend school and gain employment.
Please for more information see the website of world toilet day.
World Toilet Day is a day to take action. It is a day to raise awareness about all people who do not have access to a toilet - despite the human right to water and sanitation. It is a day to do something about it.
Of the world’s seven billion people, 2.5 billion people do not have improved sanitation. 1 billion people still defecate in the open. Women and girls risk rape and abuse because they have no toilet that offers privacy. The ‘silent’ sanitation crisis is a ticking time bomb which affects billions of people around the world.
We cannot accept this situation. Sanitation is a global development priority. This is why the United Nations General Assembly in 2013 designated 19 November as World Toilet Day. This day had previously been marked by international and civil society organizations all over the world but was not formally recognized as an official UN day until 2013Its genesis was met with mixed reactions; amusement, ridicule, laughter and support. Yet World Toilet Day continues to promote discourse and debate on toilets and sanitation, and is coordinated by UN-Water in collaboration with Governments and relevant stakeholders.
Why celebrate toilets? UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his Message for the World Toilet Day: "We have a moral imperative to end open defecation and a duty to ensure women and girls are not at risk of assault and rape, simply because they lack a sanitation facility."
Equality and dignity is the theme of World Toilet Day 2014. The campaign will inspire action to end open defecation and put spotlight on how access to improved sanitation leads to a reduction in assault and violence on women and girls. More about this here.
Having to defecate openly infringes on human safety and dignity. Women and girls risk rape and abuse as they wait until night falls because they lack of access to a toilet that offers privacy.
Where toilets do exist, additional inequalities present in usability. Toilets generally remain inadequate for populations with special needs, such as the disabled and elderly, and women and girls requiring facilities to manage menstrual hygiene.
Without accessible toilets for these populations, they remain excluded from opportunities to attend school and gain employment.
Please for more information see the website of world toilet day.
