Q.40 “Sanitation has a direct link with the women’s fundamental right to privacy”. Examine.

Ans. Deficiencies in sanitation forces women and girls in India to carry higher burden which compromises with their fundamental right to privacy, too. Hygiene improves health in general but more than that it provides control on body and promotes women’s right to privacy. In absence, it may create ‘gender-based sanitation insecurity’. Lack of sanitation can take several forms—threat to life and safety while going out for open defecation, reduction in food and water intake practices to minimize the need to exit the home to use toilets, polluted water leading to women and children dying from childbirth-related infections, among others.

The Census 2011 reported a widespread lack of sanitation—more than half of the country’s population defecated in the open. Recent data shows that about 60 per cent of rural households (up from 45 per cent, NSS 2015) and 89 per cent of urban households (NSSO 2016) have access to toilets—an improved situation over the Census. A ‘rapid study’ specially done for the Economic Survey 2016–17 presents some worrisome trends among the ‘households without toilets’—

• 76 per cent of women had to travel a considerable distance to use these facilities;

• 33 per cent of the women reported facing privacy concerns and assault while going out in the open. Due to these risks, the number of women who reduced consumption of food and water are 33 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively.

• While in short-term it creates problems like illness, disruptions, and deficiencies; in the long-term it compromises with overall health and cognitive development of infants and specially girls.

• Other studies have highlighted the concerns such as exposure to natural elements, snakebites, etc.

Given the scenario it is imperative to address the issue of sanitation on priority. This will not only improve health situations of all but in case of women and girls it will be a major push in the direction of securing them their fundamental right to privacy. Sanitation is a major factor leading to women’s privacy.