World Toilet Day, observed annually on November 19th, sheds light on the critical importance of sanitation. While sanitation is a universal human right, 2 billion people still lack basic hygiene services, including 653 million with no facility at all. (WHO/UNICEF, 2023)

However, sanitation is not just about hygiene; it’s about dignity, health, and prosperity. Everyone deserves safe and affordable access to sanitation across all aspects of life – at home, school, work, and public places. A private, hygienic, and culturally acceptable toilet is essential for maintaining human dignity and well-being.

Despite global efforts, we as a society are seriously off track to achieve safely managed sanitation for all by 2030 (as outlined in UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6). This lack of progress has far-reaching consequences, affecting not only sanitation but also nutrition, health, gender equality, education, sustainability, and environmental cleanliness.

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by inadequate sanitation. 

• Without safely managed sanitation, women and girls are more vulnerable to ill-health. Lack of proper facilities affects their safety, well-being, and overall quality of life.

• Women are primary caregivers in many societies, which also disproportionately affects them in cases of inadequate water availability or sanitation.

• Insufficient sanitation facilities hinder women’s ability to study and work. Girls may miss school during menstruation due to inadequate toilets and perpetuating educational disparities. Women in the workforce face similar challenges, impacting their productivity and economic opportunities.

On World Toilet Day, let’s recognize that toilets are more than mere facilities – they are places for progress, dignity, and transformation. By prioritizing sanitation, we create a fairer, healthier, and more peaceful world for all, especially women and girls.

Research published by Springer Nature supporting the topic of Sanitation and expanding on gender equality includes

• Systematic re-review of WASH trials to assess women’s engagement in intervention delivery and research activities [Open Access]

• Practice Note: Why We Started Talking About Menstruation—Looking Back (and Looking Forward) with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation [Open Access]

• Achieving the Water and Sanitation Millennium Development Goal 

• Gender Transformative Planning for Urban Sanitation in India 

• Women and Toilet: A Study from India

• Water Seekers, Carriers and Keepers: The Global and Gender Divide

• Integrating Gender Equality in WASH Emergency Response in the Central African Republic

Please check out the SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation Hub here for all SDG 6 related information and events.