Women candidates should prioritise provision of clean public toilets this campaign season, says public health expert

With the campaign for the upcoming local self-government body elections entering the final phase, former Vice-Chancellor of Kerala University and public health expert B. Ekbal points out that there is one public health issue of vital importance that all major political parties seem to have paid little attention to: the availability of clean, safe, and usable public toilets for women both in urban and rural areas. This is a basic health requirement which finds little or no mention in the election manifestos of even major political parties, says Dr. Ekbal in a post on Facebook.

This is a crucial basic health requirement for women, yet women themselves seem to have come to terms with the fact that this is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

“Half of the seats in the local bodies are reserved for women, and in the last term, women held 52% of the positions. It is thus shameful that Kerala, a State that prides itself on having achieved “world-class standards” in almost every sphere, has failed to ensure this fundamental requirement for women,” he notes.

Urinary retention

“It is common knowledge that women shy away from using public toiIets because they are not adequately clean. Women leaders who are going around campaigning for votes can vouch for that. But this holding back of the urine, for lack of clean toilets, has serious and long-term health consequences. It can lead to urinary tract infections,” Dr. Ekbal.

He points out that urinary incontinence, an issue which is commonly reported in elderly women, is the end result of the habit of holding back on urination, something that women are forced or conditioned to do all her younger years, because of the lack of clean and hygienic public toilets.

Many local bodies have tried setting up women-friendly toilets, including “She Toilets.” But most of these projects are either non-functional or insufficient in number or are located in places where women lack privacy or feel unsafe to use them. Most women now depend on rest rooms in fuel stations or in restaurants but this option would not be available to everyone.

Dr. Ekbal appealed to the local body election candidates, especially women, to understand this issue and to make a firm commitment that adequate access to clean and functional toilets for women will be ensured in their respective constituencies.

He pointed out that the increased representation of women in local bodies should be able to address this most basic requirement of every women.