Need for more public toilets for women

Bangladesh has made significant progress in empowering women. The number of women entering the workforce is increasing day by day. They are coming out of their houses to work at offices and factories. They also go out for medical treatment and attend classes at educational institutions. Even they have to work on farmlands. When they go out for work, they sometimes need toilet facilities. But our local government bodies, such as city corporations, zila parishads, upzila parishads, municipalities and union parishads are yet to set up a sufficient number of public toilets for women. Moreover, the existing public toilets are often found dirty and unhygienic while some are found unusable.

Ensuring clean and accessible sanitation is a core part of Sustainable Development Goal. It is very unfortunate that the number of public toilets for women in public places is inadequate. Besides, the existing public toilets are not free of cost. A woman has to pay Tk 10 for using public toilets. So those women who go out for their work have to face problems. The local government units must address this problem. It is one of the prerequisites for women's free movement outdoor.

Public toilets are of great importance with regards to health and sanitation. Toilets in government offices, hospitals, educational institutions, bus stands and railway stations among other places need to be checked regularly for cleanliness, water-supply, etc. Adequate safety measures, especially in women's toilets, and proper ventilation need to be provided. It would be desirable not to collect any charge for the use of public toilets. The cost of maintaining the public toilets needs to be borne by the government. Fewer toilets also do not meet the needs of the general public.

Md Ashraf Hossain

120, Central Bashabo,

Dhaka-1214,

tahrimanithi@gmail.com