World Toilet Day: More than 6 million people in Argentina do not have a bathroom

Toilet Day, decreed by the UN, is commemorated every November 19 to make visible and put on the agenda the health crisis that impacts more than 3,600 million people in the world.
Almost half of the world’s population does not have safely managed sanitation services. (UN-Water, 2021). In Argentina, this problem is suffered by more than 6 million people who live without a space to maintain hygiene habits. The lack of toilets forces families to resort to precarious latrines, borrow and often resort to a bucket to meet their needs.
Módulo Sanitario -a non-profit social organization that builds health solutions for these families- invites reflection on the effects of the health deficit.
“The lack of bathroom mainly affects health, but also the integral development of people: their attendance at work, integration into society, nutrition, general well-being, among other factors.”, says Matías Nicolini, General Coordinator of the Health Module. “For women and girls this situation is more serious since it exposes them to risks of harassment or even abuse when they must leave their homes in search of a bathroom or use latrines of precarious structures where they can be spied on,” Matías added.
The Day of the Toilet seeks to raise awareness of an invisible problem that affects the lives of the most marginalized people and also in their communities, since the lack of sanitation also causes the contamination of soils and water sources. Every day, more than 800 children under the age of five die from diarrhoea related to unsafe water consumption, unsafe sanitation and poor hygiene. (WHO, 2019)
Malnutrition and diarrheal diseases are linked to lack of hygiene, a product of the inaccessibility to a space to develop these habits. These are one of the main causes of infant mortality, especially in children under 5 years of age.
Having access to safely managed sanitation services, combined with safe drinking water services and good facilities to maintain hygiene habits, are the basis of public health. According to UN research, for every peso invested in sanitation, 5 pesos are saved in medical costs and increased productivity.

Original source in Spanish