Sanitation as Social Justice
What is social justice?
“Social justice” may not be the first thing you think of when you hear ‘sanitation’. They are, however, intrinsically linked. Social justice refers to building a fair and equal society where individuals’ rights are upheld. Sanitation is a human right but not all of us have access to it. In fact, 2.5 billion people in cities across the world cannot access clean and safe sanitation. This is what makes sanitation a social justice issue.
In most discussions on social justice, equity and equality are recurrent themes. It’s important to agree some definitions. Equality means ensuring the same opportunities for everyone. Equity focuses on giving people what they need, to ensure fairness. There are differences between these terms are important to distinguish. Equality alone is not enough to ensure people have access to things they need such as sanitation. It goes hand in hand with equity and it is within this nexus, that sanitation has to be located.
Sanitation injustices across the world
Sanitation justice isn’t just an issue in the Global South. In high-income countries such as the USA, racial and class disparities affect access to quality sanitation starkly. In 2014, black residents of Flint, Michigan brought the water crisis to the forefront, where their water was contaminated with lead. This is a city where more than half of its residents are black and 40% of people are living under the poverty line. The role of structural racism was included as a factor in the Michigan Civil Rights Commission’s report. The city was able to replace 85% of the water pipes. However, the scars from this crisis is evident in the fact that residents still use bottled water due to the lack of trust for their local authorities. As we explored in our blog post on indigenous communities and access to sanitation, the Native American communities across the US also continually face sanitation and water insecurity. This coincides with the fact that 1 in 3 Native American people live in poverty.
The scale of sanitation injustice is most stark for people living in the Global South. In 2017, research from our friends at WaterAid found that at this current rate of progress, countries such as Kenya and Myanmar will not reach a day when everyone has a least a basic toilet. The story is even worse women and gender minorities. Women and girls often have to wait till dark or find toilets in remote locations, which leaves them vulnerable to sexual violence. For people who have to choose between the binary male and female toilets, sanitation can also come at a cost of violence.
Some sanitation injustices remain hidden.
Those often forgotten in this conversation are incarcerated communities. In a lot of prisons, such as in US and the UK, hygiene is often monetised. This means that incarcerated people have to buy soap and period products. Sanitation and hygiene — or lack thereof — can sometimes even be used as a punitive measure, through withholding these products for punishment.
Things to remember when ending sanitation injustice
Sanitation protects dignity. In accessing clean and safe sanitation, people across the globe can live without worry of being exposed to water-related diseases, children can grow and develop, and people can access sanitation without fear of violence. We must collaborate in projects that restore and champion the dignity of local people.
The national economic benefits of improved sanitation are important, but we must remember that most of the people currently living without access to sanitation are predominantly low-income people of colour. Sanitation interventions need to be accompanied by systemic reform and pathways out of cyclical poverty.
Sanitation should not be a reward or exist in a privilege framework. Those of us who can access sanitation because of privilege must partner with those who cannot access it and work together to build a world where safe, clean sanitation is the norm for every person.
We want to leave people thinking about this question: What does sanitation equity look like?
We would love to hear if and how you frame sanitation as a social justice issue. It is a conversation we want to keep having and to learn more about.
Let us know in the comments or quote tweet and share on Twitter and LinkedIn.
