What public amenities would you like to see provided for the women in your country?
Toilets for men and women on Ciliwung river in Jakarta, Indonesia
A recent protest called Power to the Peepee saw women from five cities in the Netherlands posting pictures of themselves on Instagram trying to answer nature’s call at men’s urinals. They were reacting to the case of a woman who was fined EUR 90 for public urination in a place in Amsterdam where there was no toilet available for women.
By the way, the city of Amsterdam has 35 public urinals for men compared to three public toilets for women. The judge who found her guilty had also told her that she should have used a men’s urinal, saying “It would not be pleasant but it can be done.”
The case has had some arguing that urban planning and amenities in some cities are still male-centric. Others however point to non-existent amenities for women in developing countries, where sometimes women have to wait until dark to relieve themselves in the open, exposing themselves to the risk of sexual assault or even infections.
Our question for you: What public amenities would you like to see provided or improved for the women in your country?
We are looking forward to hearing from you!
Author: Brenda Haas
Editor: Marjory Linardy
Here are the best comments
Roma Rajpal Weiß You have raised such an important issue. Toilets are a big problem in India. Just recently, a film was released ‘Toilet – a love story’.You would think how can that be — how can a toilet be connected to a love story. The film revolved around a couple that falls in love, the newly wed bride then arrives at the husband’s house only to find out that they have no toilets in the house. She was expected to go to the outskirts of the city before sunrise to do her business in lands. The film portrays the dark reality of the tradition where toilets are considered impure and how the conservative father-in-law refuses to get a toilet built in the house. Many incidents have been reported where women have been sexually assaulted / kidnapped while they were on their way to the relieve themselves. The film is based on a true story that made headlines when a woman filed for divorce from her husband because he did not provide for a toilet in the house. Even though the Indian government has allowed funds to the toilet campaign and is making efforts to create awareness – the problem remains a serious issue in the country for women. A lot needs to be done – because the issue is not about the toilet itself in India. It is about the way people think of it as being impure and not being a part of the household.
