Seven in 10 women in sub-Saharan Africa have no access to a safe toilet, which threatens their health and exposes them to shame, fear and even violence.
This according to a survey conducted by WaterAid on women living across five slums in Lagos, Nigeria, as the World Commemorates World Toilet Day today.
It has found that 297 million African women and girls lack safe and adequate sanitation and out of those 107 million don't have a toilet at all.
The survey has also shown that one in five African women has been verbally harassed and intimidated or has been threatened or physically assaulted in the last year when going to the toilet. It says every day, over 1 00 African mothers lose a child to diarrhoeal diseases caused by a lack of adequate sanitation and clean water.
Meanwhile South Africa is preparing to host the 12th World Toilet Summit in Durban in December as the issue of sanitation remains unresolved in many municipalities.
The summit is expected to benefit municipalities. It is estimated that 18 million South Africans do not have access to adequate sanitation. Those who have inadequate sanitation may be using the bucket system or pit toilets.
BY TEBOGO METSWAMERE
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