Women and girls bear brunt of water and sanitation crisis: UNICEF report

UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) released an enlightening report today, which highlights the gender disparities found in access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services.

Gender disparities persist in water fetching

The report, titled "Progress in Drinking Water, Sanitation and Domestic Hygiene (WASH) 2000-2022: A Special Focus on Gender," brings to light the fact that women and girls have a greater responsibility of fetching water for their households. Girls are almost twice as likely as boys to undertake this task.

Furthermore, obstacles in terms of security, privacy, and hygiene impede the well-being of women and girls and perpetuate the vicious cycle of poverty.

According to the report, nearly 8 billion people worldwide live in homes without on-site water supply. In seven out of ten of these households, women and girls over the age of 15 are primarily responsible for collecting water, compared to their male counterparts in only three out of ten households.

Furthermore, girls under the age of 15 are more likely than boys under the age of 15 to fetch water, highlighting the gender imbalance in this crucial task. These responsibilities often result in longer journeys for women and girls, leading to lost time in education, work and leisure activities, as well as exposing them to physical risks during their travels.

Gender inequalities persist in WASH facilities

The report also reveals that more than half a billion people still share sanitation facilities with other households, compromising the privacy, dignity and security of women and girls. Survey data from 22 countries indicates that women and girls who use shared toilets are more likely to feel unsafe walking alone at night and face higher risks of sexual harassment and other safety concerns.

Furthermore, inadequate WASH services pose additional health risks for women and girls and limit their ability to manage their periods safely and privately. Among 51 countries with available data, women and adolescent girls from the poorest households and those with disabilities are most likely to lack a private place to wash and change.

 “Every step a girl takes to collect water is a step away from learning, play, and safety,” said Cecilia Sharp, UNICEF Director of WASH and CEED. “Unsafe water, toilets, and handwashing at home robs girls of their potential, compromises their well-being, and perpetuates cycles of poverty. Responding to girls’ needs in the design and implementation of WASH programmes is critical to reaching universal access to water and sanitation and achieving gender equality and empowerment.”

Women and girls bear water collection burden

According to the report, globally, 1.8 billion people live in households without water supplies on the premises. Women and girls aged 15 and older are primarily responsible for water collection in 7 out of 10 such households, compared with 3 in 10 households for their male peers.

Girls under 15 (7 %) are also more likely than boys under 15 (4 %) to fetch water. In most cases, women and girls make longer journeys to collect it, losing time in education, work, and leisure, and putting themselves at risk of physical injury and dangers on the way.

The report also shows that more than half a billion people still share sanitation facilities with other households, compromising the privacy, dignity and security of women and girls. For example, recent surveys from 22 countries show that among households with shared bathrooms, women and girls are more likely than men and boys to feel unsafe walking alone at night and face sexual harassment and other safety risks.

Inadequate WASH services pose health risks

In addition, inadequate WASH services increase the health risks for women and girls and limit their ability to manage their periods safely and privately. Among the 51 countries with available data, women and adolescent girls from the poorest households and people with disabilities are the most likely to lack a private place to wash and change.

“The most recent data from the WHO shows a stark reality: 1.4 million lives are lost every year due to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene,” said Dr. Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and WHO Health.

“Women and girls not only face WASH-related infectious diseases, such as diarrhea and acute respiratory infections but also face additional health risks because they are vulnerable to harassment, violence and injury when they have to leave home to carry water or simply to use the bathroom."

The findings continue to show that lack of access to hygiene also disproportionately affects women and girls. In many countries, women and girls are primarily responsible for household chores and caring for others, including cleaning, preparing food and caring for the sick, which is likely to expose them to disease and other risks to their lives. your health without the protection of hand washing. The extra time spent on housework can also limit girls' chances of completing secondary school and getting a job.

Today, around 2.2 billion people, or 1 in 4, still lack safely managed drinking water at home and 3.4 billion people, or 2 in 5, do not have safely managed sanitation. About 2 billion people, or 1 in 4, cannot wash their hands with soap and water at home.

Improvements in WASH access, challenges

The report notes some progress towards achieving universal access to WASH. Between 2015 and 2022, household access to safely managed drinking water increased from 69% to 73%; safely managed sanitation increased from 49 to 57%; and basic hygiene services increased from 67 to 75%.

But achieving the Sustainable Development Goal target of universal access to safely managed drinking water, sanitation and basic hygiene services by 2030 will require a sixfold increase in current rates of progress in safely managed drinking water, 5-fold in safely managed drinking water. sanitation and triple basic hygiene services.

More efforts are needed to ensure that WASH progress contributes to gender equality, including integrating gender considerations into WASH programs and policies and disaggregated data collection and analysis, to inform targeted interventions that address specific needs. of women and girls and other vulnerable groups.

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