Last November, a young Bangladeshi named Shariatpur told a group of researchers: “Imagine a college, a big college. Thousands of students study there, but there are only one or two toilets. There is always a long queue of girls and boys waiting. And in the toilet stinks very badly and it is very dirty. Often, when girls get their periods at college or school, they are unprepared and cannot manage.”
Perhaps unknowingly, Shariatpur described personally what many development people are beginning to discover: that sanitation and hygiene talk is taboo and usually pushed under the rug, despite the 2.4 billion people on the planet who still need clean toilets and good hygiene.
Whether in Bangladesh or Sweden, hygiene is good for health, education and nutrition. In fact, some estimates show that handwashing with soap could save more than 600,000 children’s lives currently lost to diarrhoea and pneumonia each year.
Hygiene is also embedded in a host of human rights and critical for gender equality and a safe and decent environment. Those who suffer most from inadequate access to hygiene are often the most marginalised: women and adolescent girls, children, the elderly, the disabled, sanitation workers, migrants, and those living in remote areas, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia. For them, the absence of hygiene leads to the spread of disease, work absenteeism, or inconvenience (when, for example, relatives must take care of family members with incontinence).
Since 2014, SCA and the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) have worked in partnership to raise awareness about the importance of hygiene and sanitation, and challenge the taboos. SCA, a personal hygiene and tissue company with a consumer base of 500 million people, and WSSCC, a United Nations body devoted solely to improving the sanitation and hygiene for the poorest and most marginalised, have developed innovative solutions that have the potential to make a real difference in progressing access to and awareness of hygiene.
In a new report released on 23 September, Hygiene Matters, we have come together to make the case to policy makers and key stakeholders by visualising and quantifying the value of investments in hygiene. We have highlighted some of the forces that are holding development back, and showcased innovations and solutions that are driving it forward.
Health, moral and business benefits
The evidence articulates a clear health, moral, and business case for hygiene. First and foremost, the disease burden of inadequate hygiene is a major factor. Handwashing at critical times, such as post-defecation and pre-food preparation, is crucial for reducing the spread of bacteria and disease. In fact, good hygiene habits can reduce the risk of childhood diseases such as hand, foot, and mouth disease by up to 60%.
Yet, the taboos surrounding hygiene were found to hold back progress. Negative perceptions of menstruation and incontinence damage self confidence and make it difficult to seek help for something that is seen as embarrassing. Of 12,000 respondents in 12 countries, only three in 10 women admitted to ever having talked about menstruation with their partner. 26% of women and 44% of men, respectively, reported feeling a lot or some discomfort buying sanitary pads or tampons. There are enormous economic costs as well. In China, incontinence – in the absence of suitable solutions – reduces productivity by an average of 12.6 days a year.
In order for real progress to be made, it is essential that UN organisations, civil society, private businesses, and government leaders listen to the voices and experiences of those without adequate and appropriate access, especially the most marginalised. It is time for each and every one of us to break the silence on menstruation so that women and girls can discuss the topic without stigma or fear, and get the information they need and demand the services they want.
CEOs and national leaders, women’s rights and health advocates, global policymakers and others need to put menstruation and other taboo topics such as incontinence far higher on the global agenda. Private- public- and civil-sector alliances should be formed to mobilise domestic and government resources.
Governments should introduce policies to ensure that girls and women have separate, private toilet facilities in schools and at the workplace, access to essential products – cloths, pads and menstrual cups – and the means to clean them for reuse or to dispose of them safely. And national and community leaders must develop increased knowledge, in-depth learning and practical solutions that address common WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) challenges. This includes speaking out to change attitudes and customs that restrict menstruating women and girls from leading a full life and promoting basic education about periods.
As we look to the future, we imagine a world where social justice and dignity prevail for everyone, everywhere. Where access to hygiene solutions gives women the freedom to participate fully in society socially, educationally and professionally.
We imagine a world where the most disadvantaged and marginalised have a voice, where there are no barriers to the fulfilment of healthier lives and well-being.
We have a global commitment. We have the expertise. Now is the time for everyone to take action.
Content on this page is paid for and provided by WSSCC, a sponsor of the Guardian Global Development Professionals Network
