Toilet Please

Shame on us How Girls Hold Their Pride & Self-Respect

In the absence of toilets, water and sanitary pads, girls stay at home

Today is world toilet day

• Less than 12 % girls use sanitary pads
• Girls do not drink water fearing that they may have to go to the toilet
• Students control themselves from 9 am to 4 pm
• With no toilets, girls tag along another friend to keep watch
• They hesitate to share their health problems which lead to infections of reproductive organs and urinary tracts
• Women are severely affected by the lack of toilets due to cultural taboos S
• Girl students cannot openly defecate during daytime and are forced to hold it

Today is World Toilet Day. It is a well- known fact that thousands of schools in the state do not have toilets. But the worst hit are the girl students, especially who reside in the remote areas. Fear, shame and anger are some emotions that these students keep within themselves, just as they hold themselves all day long just to keep their pride and self respect. The Hans India visited schools in the tribal areas of Warangal district.

About 100 km from Warangal in the forest area of Tadvai mandal, M Mamatha, a class X student shudders at the thought of going to school during the menstrual period. The absence of toilets in Indira Nagar High School, Tadvai mandal, the girl students complain of stomach ache, backache and urinary infections as they control themselves from 9 am to 4 pm by not going to the toilet. A few who dare to only have to go into the nearby forest. On a visit to schools in Govindaraopet and Tadvai mandals in Warangal district on Monday, it was found that none of the schools have a functioning toilet. If there are toilets, there is no water, if there is water; the toilets are so badly maintained that no one uses them.

But the most who suffer are the girl students. Sanitary pads were supplied to the schools just once this year. Girls depend on teachers to get them sanitary pads from Hanumakonda.

With 626 million Indians practicing open defecation and only 25,000 villages in the country being free from the practice of open defecation, independence from the open defecation is a far cry. R Murali, secretary, Modern Architects for Rural India (MARI) an NGO working in the field of water and sanitation, says, “The absence of menstrual hygiene management in policy debates is striking. The girls studying in the remote areas face a lot of problems.”

The plight of girl students of Ashrama High School Girls Project Nagar in Govindaraopet is even worse. The classrooms double up as bedrooms at night. With untreated water being supplied and no proper toilets, the students face hardship day in and day out. Most of them are from the tribal belt are the worst hit.

B Sunita, teacher-cum-warden says, “In spite of funds being allotted the money is not disbursed. The girls stay here and go home just during the holidays. They face innumerable problems due to lack of sanitation. We teachers try and help out but then we too have limitations.” M Saiprasanna, a 9th class student of ZPHS Narlapur, Tadvai mandal, says, “We have to go to the open toilet. We always tag along another girl to keep a watch as even boys tend to use the same place. Many girls in our school complain of stomach ache as we control ourselves by not using the toilet.” She adds, “It becomes worse during menstrual period as we need to change pads. Most of us just stay at home during those days.” Raji Reddy, field area in charge, MARI said, “Boys can at least go out in the forest area but in the case of girls it is difficult. Many face health problems due to infection.” The supply of sanitary pads by the government is only on paper, says R Poornima, school assistant, ZP Secondary school, Chalvai. “We conducted several sessions on the importance of the use of sanitary pads and now the girls have started using them, instead of cloth. We received a supply of sanitary pads just once this year.

The plight of girl students of Ashrama High School Girls Project Nagar in Govindaraopet is even worse. The classrooms double up as bedrooms at night. With untreated water being supplied and no proper toilets, the students face hardship day in and day out. Most of them are from the tribal belt are the worst hit.

B Sunita, teacher-cum-warden says, “In spite of funds being allotted the money is not disbursed. The girls stay here and go home just during the holidays. They face innumerable problems due to lack of sanitation. We teachers try and help out but then we too have limitations.” M Saiprasanna, a 9th class student of ZPHS Narlapur, Tadvai mandal, says, “We have to go to the open toilet. We always tag along another girl to keep a watch as even boys tend to use the same place. Many girls in our school complain of stomach ache as we control ourselves by not using the toilet.” She adds, “It becomes worse during menstrual period as we need to change pads. Most of us just stay at home during those days.” Raji Reddy, field area in charge, MARI said, “Boys can at least go out in the forest area but in the case of girls it is difficult. Many face health problems due to infection.” The supply of sanitary pads by the government is only on paper, says R Poornima, school assistant, ZP Secondary school, Chalvai. “We conducted several sessions on the importance of the use of sanitary pads and now the girls have started using them, instead of cloth. We received a supply of sanitary pads just once this year.