Part 2: The Impact WaSH (and lack thereof) Has Had on Women
Welcome back to this 2-part series! In the first part, I considered how a lack of WaSH facilities had consequences on MHM and period poverty and the ways in which these could be alleviated. In this post, I aim to look at other impacts WaSH has had on women such as gender-based violence (GBV) and education attainment as a response to poor WaSH facilities.
Before I begin, I want to make it clear that gender-based violence and poor educational attainment are issues that can be found globally and are not exclusive to Africa. The case is that these can be exacerbated due to a lack of WaSH facilities in Africa. Also, these issues can sometimes be a response to poor MHM, thus showing how cumulative these problems really are.
GBV in relation to WaSH
GBV is violence inflicted on another person based on their gender and can be both physical and psychological. Fragmented access to water puts women in particular at great risk. Studies in refugee camps in Kenya have found that in places where latrines are sparkly located have seen instances where women have been attacked through sexual violence and harassment. Having to face these challenges have induced feelings of helplessness and disgust amongst these women. This is only made harder when managing their menstrual cycle.
45.6% of women 15 years and older in Africa have been subject to Gender-based Violence
While these dangers appear to be from men who are not related to these women, GBV can also happen in the home as well. Sanitation products like soap as well as menstrual products can be pricey which can often lead to conflicts given that it is usually the men’s responsibility to pay. The COVID-19 pandemic will have exacerbated this issue as women will have had to stay confined in their homes and be more vulnerable to GBV as a result of these tensions. Resultantly, women are subject to violence both in and out of their homes. Unfortunately, it is tough to address the challenge of GBV in itself. It is such a sensitive topic meaning that there is no guarantee that this issue is documented accurately, thus making it difficult to create and refine effective policies to combat this. Efforts can and have been made to bring water points closer to women in these localities. Although, GBV can also be caused by factors outside of WaSH like lack of education and poverty, making this a complex issue to fully eradicate.
Educational Attainment
Poor access to clean water can induce many health risks. The consumption of unclean water increases vulnerability to waterborne diseases like cholera and diarrhoea. These factors have contributed to both girls and boys being absent from school when suffering from these diseases. Although women bear a further disadvantage with WaSH, which further increases their absenteeism.
"In Uganda, only 22 per cent of girls are enrolled in
secondary schools"
A lack of resources such as clean water, a clean toilet that maintains dignity means that their MHM is compromised. With women having to withstand multiple health discrepancies that interfere with their education compared to their male counterparts, this increases the chances of them dropping out and thus endangers their possibility to find work beyond education. This is unfortunate as education is a tool for empowerment and can be pivotal in changing policies as mentioned in part 1.
Concluding thoughts
A lot of these factors are interlinked and can be a consequence of one another. This clearly depicts how problematic a lack of wash facilities has on women and their ability to partake in day-to-day life. Subsequently, we can see how a lack of WaSH puts into jeopardy the development of these communities - especially SDG 4 and SDG 5. While some efforts have been made, in my next entry I want to take a closer look at the different types of solutions that have been implemented and the extent to which they have had a positive impact. These will be initiatives outside of just providing a clean water source close by.
Well presented explaination about the implication of water on health, specifically the impact on women in relation to WaSH, MHM, and GBV. I was wondering the place of SDG 5 in sufficeintly addressing the broad implication of water and gender across rural settlement. Also what are the implicaiton Water and gender in urban and suburban settings across the continent of Africa? Good engagement with literature and references are well embeded. Maybe a convergence of the SDG 5 and WaSH research could highlight some inreoad to a sustainable solution.
ReplyDeleteHi Clement - thanks for your comment! SDG 5 falls short when addressing these issues across rural settlements as it is difficult to implement highly efficient and specific developmental goals for each rural settlement. On the other hand, when looking at urban and suburban settings, this better addresses the implication of water and gender although there is still a long way to go - SDGs need to be far more concise to be able to address the complexity and layers of the issue at hand.
DeleteHi Chloe, I enjoyed this post I thought it was very concise and well written. I think topics like gendered based violence can be difficult to write and talk about, but do you think that the sustainable development goals do enough to start this conversation and encourage countries to take action?
ReplyDeleteHi Anda - thanks for your comment! I don't think so at all - SDGs need to address GBV in a far more concise and targeted way in order to capture the essence of how complex the problem is which will then encourage countries to take action.
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