In the world of sanitation, a silent revolution is taking place, and it’s being led by women. These women are not just breaking down gender barriers but also spearheading the charge towards a more culturally sensitive approach to sanitation practices. As they understand and address cultural sensitivities, they are driving positive change in communities, fostering acceptance, and ultimately improving sanitation for all.
Sanitation work is often invisible, overlooked, and stigmatised. While it’s a critical service for public health and hygiene, the workers behind these tasks often face societal prejudice and discrimination.
Women Sanitation Workers as Cultural Bridges
When it comes to explaining the importance of toilet access, ask a woman.
For women, the first thing that is threatened is their sense of safety. It doesn’t feel safe to go to the fields: you can’t go in the daytime because people can see you. In the nighttime, there’s always the risk that one might step on a poisonous insect or reptile, or be set upon by a larger predator.
For women who have access to public toilets, the trouble comes from different quarters. Women often restrict themselves to early morning hours, as that is when these facilities are more likely to be clean. They also tend to go in groups, making them less vulnerable to sexual violence and attack. However, should a woman miss that early morning call, going to the toilet can feel fraught with risk.
Because of the biological difference between the sexes, women are much more likely to contract urinary tract infections when they don’t have access to toilets, or when the toilets they can access are dirty or poorly maintained. Women who use community bathrooms also tend to ‘hold it’ more often, putting unnecessary strain on their internal organs. They also tend to hydrate less, to minimise trips to the toilet. Moreover, during their menses, women are far more susceptible to infections caught in dirty toilets.
While toilet access has benefited everyone, it has been life changing for women. This makes them uniquely suited to build cultural bridges, and create awareness about safe sanitation practices amongst populations that are new to toilets.
Women sanitation workers can create spaces where individuals feel comfortable using public toilets and ensure that these facilities are maintained to the highest standards of cleanliness. They can engage with communities in a culturally sensitive manner to educate them about proper sanitation practices. Their familiarity with local customs enables them to convey crucial information effectively while ensuring that it doesn’t offend anyone’s sense of propriety. By taking on roles that were traditionally seen as men’s work, these women challenge deeply ingrained gender stereotypes. They serve as role models, opening doors to other women, by their mere presence.
Inspiring Stories of Change
Women sanitation workers make up 50% of the workforce, and through sheer grit and commitment to betterment, have made steady strides in making sanitation work safer for themselves and their peers. They’ve also transcended several societal shackles that held them back, and changed the ways in which their families and communities see them.
Archana Sonavane used to clean toilets in her community for just ₹25 and, sometimes, people wouldn’t even pay her that. Because she came from a conservative family, going out to get a ‘job’ wasn’t allowed, keeping her stuck. When Harpic World Toilet College (HWTC) came up with a digital programme, she enrolled. Her training helped her break free – today, she works at CIIGMA Hospital, Aurangabad. The kicker: during the Covid-19 lockdowns, her husband lost his job, but she was able to sustain and support her family because she was the one with the steady job! Needless to say, her family’s outlook has completely changed.
Priyanka Bharti was horrified to learn that her new home with her husband’s family didn’t have a toilet. To everyone’s shock (like the very famous movie, a few years later), she left her marital home, vowing not to return unless a toilet was constructed. When Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International, heard of Priyanka and her movement, he immediately arranged for a toilet to be constructed at her in-laws’ place in Bishnupur Khurd village, Maharajgunj, Uttar Pradesh. Today, Priyanka serves as a brand ambassador for Sulabh, and works to encourage toilet use and safe sanitation.
Maya Sable used to earn a meagre ₹5000 which she used to stretch into rent, groceries and her children’s education. She knew things needed to change drastically, if she wanted to give her children a better life. After completing her training at the HWTC, Maya got placed at a Clean and Care Facilities Service in Housekeeping, where she is getting more than double her previous salary. She now has access to PPE kits, a Provident Fund, ESI and insurance. She works a wholesome 8 hours a day, and is actively raising awareness among other workers and getting them training at HWTC.
A Contagion of Empowerment
Each of these women is a shining example of what’s possible when determination meets opportunity. While determination isn’t in short supply, opportunity often is. Harpic, as India’s leading brand in the lavatory care segment, has a deeply nuanced understanding of the challenges and problems these women face. Using this understanding, Harpic created the Harpic World Toilet College (HWTC) in 2016, to remedy the lack of opportunity and education.
HWTC was established with the stated objective of improving the quality of life of sanitation workers through their rehabilitation by linking them with dignified livelihood options. Workers trained by the college are provided placement with various organisations. Following the successful proof of concept in Rishikesh, HWTCs have opened in Maharashtra, Aurangabad, in partnership with Harpic, Jagran Pehel and Maharashtra Government.
Of course, that’s not all Harpic is doing. Joining hands with News18 to create the Mission Swachhta aur Paani movement, Harpic is powering the right conversations amongst stakeholders who have the power to make real tangible change. Mission Swachhta aur Paani is a movement that champions the cause of inclusive sanitation, equality for all genders, abilities, castes and classes and the strong belief that clean toilets are a shared responsibility
Moreover, Mission Swachhta aur Paani is also helping get these stories out to readers like you. The more we know, the greater our awareness, the more good we can put out into the world. That good needn’t always take the form of large, life shaking actions, but even small conversations move the needle towards a kinder, more equitable, more just world.
Join us here, to learn how you can do your bit in this national transformation.
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