Protect the Right to life with dignity of women who do not have access to toilet

Sanitation - a big problem in India, as half the population of our country do not have access to this facility.
Mumbai is one of the biggest cities in the world and advanced in terms of its commercialization. However, sanitation is one of the most common issues neglected. Our team of women from Jan Jagruti went into the lanes of 3 areas – Azad Mohala, Bharatiya Kamla Nagar, Vijay Nagar and spoke to women to understand the severity of the sanitation issue prevailing. These areas have severe problems with public health, due to improper sanitation infrastructure and insufficiency of toilet facilities, compounded by numerous issues of flooding during the monsoon season. Khaaddi, a local area/dumping ground, is widely used by local residents for urination and defecation, leading to the spread of contagious diseases. Though women use paid toilets, the issue of cleanliness and waiting in long queues are the most common problem before them. It is very insecure for them when they use open spaces for defecation.
Though it is the most basic responsibility of the government to provide free lavatory facilities but it is not taken seriously by state. The un-cleanliness of public toilets available is also need to concern because it is also cause for infection and subsequent affects on women health. It is a necessity and a matter of dignity that women need an easy access to toilet. Women are mainly affected from this problem because several times they have to face discrimination and disparity while using public toilets. Here in public toilets of Mumbai, there is no urinal charge for men but it cost Rs.1 for women. This poses a question on the fundamental right to equality for access to facility which is different for men and women. The gynecological and urinary tract problem run higher among who lack access to sanitation facilities. The women who don’t have access to toilets have to face many dilemmas and also feel insecure while going open spaces.
After this survey, we came to know about certain severe problems of women due to this lack of toilet facility. These major problems are pointed out in brief here.
-Majority of women do not have lavatory provisions.
-Defecation in open spaces.
-Insecurity of women while going in open spaces.
-Health problem due to this unhygienic place used by them like dumping ground.
-Disparity among men and women in use of public toilets.
-It has become a way of life and passing on to their generations - making it a difficult cycle to break!
We need to understand that it is the violation of two fundamental rights- RIGHT TO LIFE and RIGHT TO EQUALITY. Right to life means right to life with dignity and are breached evidently in these cases.

Data Support:
-According to UNICEF report 12.2 crore houses do not have toilets in their homes.
-Earlier reports of WHO said that out of 1.2 billion people who defecate in the open 665 million are in India.
-India is major contributor for South Asia being the worst region in the world in providing sanitation. About 2.5billion people in South Asia 64 percent of the population do not have clean sanitation facilities.
-It is worst record for any region in the world (Theres Dooley, Senior Advisor at UNICEF water division in Newyork).

Demands:
-Each and every family should have a toilet as a basic facility available for them. The number of public toilets should be increased up to a level where every households would have a toilet.
-The toilets should be open free of cost to the people because it is the matter of necessity and basic right and should not be a matter of business.
-The cleanliness of toilets should be maintained because it becomes a source of infection to women and children. The cleaning activity should be performed at 4 to 5 times a day.
-There should be a proper drainage system to avoid stagnation of water and the diseases borne from this stagnated water.
-The basic right and necessities of people be should taken care by the state as their primary agenda.