We should hang our heads in shame because of our inability to provide safe basic amenities to the women and children of this country. The lack of toilets has led to indescribable increasing crimes. If toilets are going to be built then our women will feel safe. There are many girls who don’t go to school because they have no toilets meant for them. Around 50 diseases occur due to poor sanitary conditions. The increasing attacks on women could be controlled by building toilets for women who make themselves vulnerable to attacks by defecating in the open. The lack of toilets impacts the safety of women. According to the World Bank report, more than 600 million people – over half of India’s population – defecate in the open. No doubt, our government has made it mandatory to make toilets as a part of the sanitation but it is not properly worked out. There is an increasing body of evidence that says poor sanitation when a child is young, can lead to mental and cognitive stunting. There are few organisations like Sulabh with the expertise necessary to build low-cost, environmentally sound and user-friendly toilets. The government must create and implement a five year plan to construct toilets and running water to every house in the country if we really want to keep our women safe.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
