‘We didn’t have anywhere to defecate as there is nowhere private. When we went outside, the boys used to follow us and we felt shy and afraid. We used to end up going inside our houses, on the floor, just like children, and then cleaning it up.’ It took guts for 15-year-old Baby from the Indian city of Gwalior to describe how she dealt with having no toilet in her home. The personal and sensitive nature of excretion renders it taboo, a topic that many grown women in developing countries, let alone adolescent girls, are uncomfortable discussing in public.
Women want and need toilets, but are profoundly inhibited from saying so. Access to a toilet is essential for female dignity, especially in cultures that demand high standards of modesty. But lack of discussion means that their provision is given very low priority, especially by those with the financial and political power to correct the situation – predominantly men. This paradox results in women living in a state of constant discomfort and anxiety. While men and boys can be seen squatting by Indian roadsides in broad daylight, similar behaviour for women and girls is unthinkable.
