UNFPA Background Guide - National Model United Nations

Women’s Experiences with Lack of Access to Sanitation
Women have distinct physical needs from men, and normally require more privacy when using toilets or
showering. 202 Compared to the very limited presence of latrines, there are almost no shower stalls within lots. 203
Most women have to contend between using the latrines as showers, and ordering all their household members to
leave the (usually one-room) house if they want to take a shower with any degree of privacy. 204 Also, when it comes
to women’s menstrual periods, they also have little to no privacy to address their needs, with constant queues to the
latrines, being in the presence of their male neighbors and acquaintances. 205 Women also have the added burden of
acting as care workers to any dependents (children, the elderly) within their households. 206 In fact, health indicators
of Nairobi slums are worse in some respects than rural areas. Infant, child, and under five mortality rates were 20%,
65%, and 30% higher respectively, compared to the rural figures (according to the African Population and Health
Research Centre). 207
A general lack of policing and insecurity, coupled with women’s need to traverse large distances to use toilets,
sharply increases their vulnerability to rape and other forms of gender-based violence. 208 Most accounts tell of
facing sexual violence when going to toilets at night, but sometimes even during the day. In addition to rape,
members of the community would harass and intimidate women using the latrines. 209 Victims naturally find their
income-generating capabilities diminished or gone. 210 Violence is both a symptom and cause of their poverty.
Government Role
The Kenyan government stated in a report that slums and settlements “lack adequate physical infrastructure
[including] sewer systems, drainage, water and sanitation facilities…where such facilities exist they are in a poor
state or are results of illegal connections.” 211 The single biggest indicator of government failing lies in how these
slums are viewed and organized. Although there are minimum sanitation standards, these slums lie outside the
authorities’ plans, and as such, standards are rarely enforced. 212 The Nairobi City Council still views these slums as
irregular, and as such, has not properly accounted for them in urban planning, despite their existence for decades. 213
When it comes to the issue of latrines, Kenyan law states that sanitation responsibilities rest with private individuals
and structure owners (landlords). 214 Naturally, landlords try to maximize profits by increasing the number of
households on their land, and they pay little attention to providing proper sanitation facilities. 215 This selective
discrimination against informal settlements runs counter to the International Convention on Civil and Political
Rights (ICCPR), as per the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, “rights should not be conditional
on, or determined by, a person’s current or former place of residence; ... disparities between localities and regions
should be eliminated in practice…” 216
Reviews of the ICPD PoA
ICPD +5
A United Nations General Assembly (GA) special session in 1999 reviewed the progress made on the PoA and
highlighted the key actions moving forward. 217 First, the education and literacy goals were to ensure universal access
to primary education by 2015. 218 Second, for reproductive health, governments were called upon to ensure that
202
Amnesty International, Insecurity and Indignity: Women's Experiences in the Slums of Nairobi, Kenya, 2010.
203
Ibid., p. 19.
204
Ibid., p. 19.
205
Ibid., p. 20.
206
Ibid., p. 20.
207
Ibid., p. 20.
208
Ibid., p. 5.
209
Ibid., p. 20.
210
Ibid., p. 5.
211
Ibid., p. 28.
212
Ibid., p. 31.
213
Ibid., p. 28.
214
Ibid., p. 43.
215
Ibid., p. 31.
216
Ibid., p. 32.
217
UN General Assembly, Key actions for the further implementation of the Programme of Action of the International
Conference on Population and Development. (A/S-21/5/Add.1) [Report], 1999, p. 1.
218
Ibid., p. 8.
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