"Sanitation Deficit"

Although water and sanitation goals are often though about as interdependent, numerous studies have pointed out to the “sanitation deficit”, especially in light of the recently concluded Millennium Development Goals. Hence, I thought I would address this issue separately from access to water under the topic of gender equality. 

While the MDG regarding access to safe drinking water and sanitation was officially targeted in 2010, there are still more than 2.2 million people in developing countries which die from diseases associated with inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. The cause of death is mostly by (easily prevented) waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid. The newly introduced Sustainable Development Goals dedicate SDG 6 to the promotion of “equitable access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation”, with sub-target 6.2 outlining “special attention to the needs of women and girls”.

In an article written for ‘The Conversion’, Professor Sarah Jewitt studied nine schools in Kisumu (Kenya’s third largest city), by interviewing girls regarding their hygienic concerns. 

In the nine districts, both pupils and teachers pin-pointed menstruation-related issues as one of the main causes of absenteeisms within girls with many schoolgirls admitting they felt “embarrassed” and almost forced to stay at home. The somewhat promising finding was that, if girls had access to sanitary towels, absenteeism from school would dramatically drop. However, these often cost between 65 and 120 Kenyan Shillings (US$0.79–$1.45) and are unaffordable to families earning the average Kenyan daily income of just above US$1 per day. 

Nonetheless, even those who do attend school often miss out socially and academically, says Professor Jewitt. In the conducted interviews, several girls admitted to sitting in the classroom all day in case they leaked, preventing them from going out to play during break. Others also refused to answer questions in lessons since they must stand up to do so and were worried other pupils might spot the stain on their uniforms since most uniforms are light in colour. 

In some cases, even if girls with access to reliable sanitary protection were more likely to attend school, this access came at a high price. Two head teachers disclosed that it was not rare that girls would agree to engage in sexual relations with older men in exchange for sanitary products. 

Practical solutions might include a shift in etiquette to allow girls to answer questions while seated and take toilet breaks without punishment, or the provision of painkillers for menstrual cramps alongside changing the uniform colour to a darker tone. However, in my opinion, the real solution lies behind the need to address the broader challenges regarding cultural norms and gender roles in Africa. This should also come hand in hand with the breaking down of the cultural silence which surrounds menstruation and puberty in many regions of Africa.