1 June - Children: the marginalized community in the sanitation debate, by Noma Neseni, Executive Director IWSD, Zimbabwe
Children: the marginalized forgotten community in the sanitation debate
In May I passed through the busy Frankfurt airport and what I have always admired about that airport is the way they have tried to place sanitation facilities in almost every corner. Certainly one does not lack access to that facility no matter how needy. However, having come from a meeting of National Coordinators with the WSSCC who had alluded to the fact that there are some marginalized communities that do not have access to sanitation and if they do it may not be safe or dignified, I started looking at the facilities at Frankfurt from a different lens. By some stroke of coincidence I was standing with my four old just coming out of the ladies toilet where he had seen some ladies cleaning themselves up when a gentleman rushed in with a six year old girl. He ushered his little girl into the ladies, stood outside hesitantly, urgently called the girl out. Needless to mention the little girl was dancing with the need to use the loo. The father had obviously had second thoughts about leaving an unaccompanied minor alone. This gentleman rushed into the gents with the little girl. I have not used the gents before so I don’t know how it looks like but if it is the standard room that has urinals with lots of men using the toilet, I felt sense of panic for the little girl - what would she see?
When we talk about improved access and coverage for sanitation, it is generally assumed that we are talking about an adult who is able to use a latrine without supervision. In recent years a debate has emerged about meeting the needs of the vulnerable and marginalized communities. This debate looks into the different gender needs, physically disabled and perhaps the elderly, homeless and so forth. Rarely do we consider children or do we see a problem in the provision of sanitation. Children are assumed to be infants generally looked after by their parents and their fecal waste managed by the adults. And yet there are these age groups that are still not adult enough to use the public facilities alone and will need adult supervision. It is not always that adults are traveling with the same sex children, which is posing a problem on deciding which toilet to use. The forgotten or marginalized community here are children who are are still young and need supervision.
Not only do we not have latrines that are child friendly and can be used at public airports, but the technology often does not carter for children. If we look at the toilet seat, most children are unable to use the latrine without having to touch the seat, which compromises their hygiene. Furthermore seating on a large seat designed for adults is uncomfortable and must make the job even more difficult. Secondly most airports and public places are now going for automatic technologies to minimize the risk of transmitting germs; children are unable to touch the sensors that will trigger the flow of water. Thus if a child goes into the toilet alone, he will definitely not wash his hands.
In my country (Zimbabwe) the debate over sanitation and its appropriateness has long been raving. If we look at the Ventilated improved pit that has a squat hole, children are generally unable to use it. Furthermore the toilets are dark in order to control flies and it is this darkness that is a deterrent to them. There are some communities that are still using public shared latrines in some parts of Zimbabwe and again talking to parents in Mutate, they indicated that their children below the age of eight do not use the public latrines but rather use buckets. The fear is that usage of public latrines compromises the safety, hygiene and security of the children.
It seems to me that the writing is on the wall- children are the forgotten community in the provision and design of latrines. The Convention on the rights of the child which has been signed by over 180 countries emphasizes meeting the needs of the child and protecting these minors. Sanitation provision should not therefore place the children in danger (as has been recorded that some abuse takes place in toilets), it should ensure their privacy, safety and dignity. As we strive to meet our sanitation target let us think about this growing population that is sometimes voiceless and is often not given an opportunity to articulate their specific needs.
Noma Neseni, IWSD, Zimbabwe, May 2009