MADRID, 6 (EUROPA PRESS)
According to a new report released Thursday by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), women and girls are responsible for fetching water in seven out of 10 households around the world without utilities.
“Every step a girl takes to fetch water is a step away from education, play and safety. Unclean water, toilets and hand-washing at home deprive girls of their opportunities, jeopardize their well-being and perpetuate the cycle of poverty. Addressing the needs of girls in the design and implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene programs is critical to universal access to water and sanitation, and to gender equality and empowerment,” commented the UNICEF Director of Water, Sanitation and hygiene as well as climate and environment. Energy and Disaster Risk Reduction, Cecilia Sharp.
According to the report, around 1.8 billion people worldwide live in households without a local water supply. In 7 out of 10 households of this type, women and girls aged 15 and over are primarily responsible for collecting water, compared to 3 out of 10 households of their male counterparts.
Girls under the age of 15 (7%) also fetch water more frequently than boys in the same age group (4%). In most cases, women and girls travel longer distances to fetch water, losing time for education, work and leisure and exposing themselves to risk of physical injury and danger along the way.
The study also shows that more than 500 million people still share sanitation facilities with other households, putting their privacy, dignity and safety at risk. Recent surveys in 22 countries show that women and girls in households with shared bathrooms are more likely than men and boys to feel unsafe when they are out alone at night and are exposed to sexual harassment and other safety risks.
On the other hand, the report points out that inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene services increase women’s and girls’ health risks and limit their ability “to manage their menstrual periods safely and privately”. Among the 51 countries with available data, women and adolescent girls from the poorest households and people with disabilities are the most likely to not have a private place to wash and change.
“The latest WHO data shows a stark reality: 1.4 million people die each year due to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene. Women and girls not only face water-borne infectious diseases, but also sanitary and hygiene diseases such as diarrhea and acute illnesses.” “They suffer from respiratory infections but also face additional health risks from being exposed to harassment, violence and injuries when they having to leave the house to fetch water or just go to the bathroom,” he said. stressed the director of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and Health of the WHO, the Spaniard María Neira.
Today, approximately 2.2 billion people, or one in four people, still do not have safely managed drinking water supplies at home and 3.4 billion people, or two in five people, do not have safely managed sanitation services. Approximately 2 billion people, or one in four, cannot wash their hands with soap and water at home.
The report certainly shows some progress towards achieving universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Between 2015 and 2022, household access to safely managed drinking water increased from 69 to 73 percent; safe sanitation rose from 49 to 57 percent; and basic hygiene services increased from 67 to 75 percent.