According to WHO, about 2.3 billion people still lack access to adequate sanitation systems in the world. Of the 1.1 billion people who still practice open defecation, the vast majority live in rural areas. Large numbers of people practice open defecation in India, Brazil and in other countries like Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan, Niger, Nepal and Mozambique.
A child dies every 2.5 minutes in the world because of unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and hygiene. Everyday more than 3000 children die from diarrheal diseases. In India alone, roughly 4,50,000 children under the age of 5 die each year from diseases contracted by drinking contaminated water due to enteric illnesses caused by bacteria, protozoan’s and viruses in water that are contaminated with human and animal feces. Preventing this would go a long way in saving children’s lives. The link between the practice of open defecation and childhood stunting is also well established.
People who do not have access to a toilet have to defecate in the open near sewer lines, gutters, behind bushes, near rivers or ponds, railway tracks etc. Defecation in the open can lead to a host of infections including cholera and diarrhea because of insanitary conditions prevalent there, which is the second leading cause of death of children under 5, one in every minute. Poor sanitation, water and hygiene have many serious repercussions as they are a constant threat to the well- being of the family and result in a vicious circle of ill-health and poverty..
According to the 2011 Census of India, 53% households in the country do not have toilet facilities. In rural area the figure is much higher at 69.3% with some states like Jharkhand, Bihar, Rajasthan, Odisha and Chhattisgarh surpassing it. Yet far more Indians have access to cell phones than to toilets. .
Women and girls are vulnerable, are at risk of harassment, sexual rape and assault and suffer the most every time they go out after dark in the open field to relieve themselves when they use public toilets at night. They prefer to wait until morning rather than risk being assaulted. The Badaun gang gruesome rape and murder case exposed how gravely at risk women and minor girls are who lack domestic toilets. Now young girls in villages are demanding to know before they get married, if there is toilet in their would-be husband’s house. Some have even left their in-laws/husband’s house with the condition they would return when a toilet was ready the premises. Indian Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi said, “our daughters and sisters fear such humiliation when they go out, they wait for the dark for this purpose as they have to go in the open. They too have a right to self-respect. Every household should get a toilet,” he said that the lack of proper sanitation at every household was a cause of concern that he wanted to address, as there can be no gender equality when women face daily harassment, abuse and violence when looking for somewhere to defecate..