By Baba Ahmed
In line with the global concept of social inclusion in all facets of human endeavour, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Stakeholders in Bauchi State have advocated for the provision of user -friendly public toilets for females and Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) to enable them have easy access to conveniences in their day to day activities.
They made the call at a one day Impact Accelerator Prototyping Workshop, organized by Water Aid Nigeria in collaboration with Bauchi State Government with funding from Australia donor known as “Who Gives a Crap ” recently in Bauchi.
The stakeholders stressed that public toilets in motor parks, markets and worship places should have women friendly toilets facilities that would also be used by PWDs, who may visit the facilities with wheelchairs.
Mr Mashat Mallo, Programme Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Officer, WaterAid Nigeria in Bauchi said the workshop was aimed at validating and coming up with ideas to address the problems and issues reflected at the recent assessment of public toilets
“The workshop will seek to come up with ideas and concepts for an improved design of public toilets, particularly for women and girls, to ensure that they are safe, accessible as well as cater for their menstrual hygiene management,” Mr. Mallo said.
On his part, the Director, Inspection and Enforcement with Bauchi state Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) Alhaji Mohammed Usman Saleh, noted that most of public toilets facilities doesn’t make provision to accommodate women and the PWDs
He recommended that a flat platform should be constructed to allow everyone to have access including women and PWDs.
For instance, there is the need to reduce the height of the steps and expand the width between the external wall and the compartment to serve as ramp for entrance to enable wheelchair access,” he said.
Also Speaking, Malam Abubakar Usman, Toilet Business Operator, called on the government to support the operators to provide high-quality public toilets with women’s requirements to alleviate the problem of female harassment.
He said the authorities need to act now to ensure the safety and well-being of all women and indeed other marginalized groups in the Society.
On his part, Mr David Ayodele, Chairman Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Media Network in Bauchi urged the relevant government agencies to constantly monitor public toilets to ensure proper maintenance of the facilities.
He said that the move is to ensure that the toilet facilities have access to clean water and good hygiene – particularly for women and PWDs who bear the brunt of the burden caused by lack of these basic and life-saving services.
“There is an urgent need to address the lack of adequate water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, particularly in public places in cities,” Ayodele said.
A Consultant with Water Aid Nigeria, Engineer Ojelabe Mayokun in his presentation emphasizes designing friendly toilets for women and PWDs to enable them feel confident, safe, and dignified while managing their daily sanitation needs.
“The need for female friendly toilets fully separated from men for safety and privacy, as well as provision of menstrual waste disposal capacity and drainages,” he said.
Our correspondent reports that participants were drawn from the Civil Society Organisations, relevant Government MDAs , Private Toilets Operators, Leaders from Market , Motor parks , Women leaders, People With Disability and WASH Media Network among others.
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