World Toilet Day

By Efrosini Costa

World Toilet Day
Silence is deafening, especially when it comes to sanitation.

No other invention has saved more lives than a toilet.

Despite this, the 2015 Millennium Development Goal target for sanitation remains the most off-track of all the MDG goals.

We’re about 150 years behind schedule according to The World Toilet Organisation – yes that’s a world body on toilets!

A lack of attention around this vital issue has seen the UN designate a special day, November 19, just to celebrate the importance of toilets in our lives.

World Toilet Day serves as a reminder of the struggles faced by billions of people who still lack access to improved sanitation.

You may not be able to appreciate the importance of toilets until you can imagine a life without them.

Shockingly 2.5 billion people – one in three of the world’s population – still do not have access to a safe, private toilet, despite the human rights for access to water and sanitation

Many have no choice but to face the indignity of going to the loo in the open, where they are exposed to disease and vulnerable to harassment and even attack. The effects on women without access to a toilet can be devastating, they run the risk of rape and violence every day.

Without access to sanitation solutions girls drop out of school as they approach puberty due to the shame and discomfort they feel during their menstrual cycle.

Adding to the crisis is the startling fact that 1000 children died per day from diarrhoeal diseases due to poor sanitation in 2013. These deaths are preventable.

So go on, have a laugh, and make your business, everybody’s business. http://worldtoilet.org/

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