The sanitation and health condition of the marginalized section of the society is very acute in the Third World Countries. A case in point is the ability to enroll woman for education and primary education. it is true that for any development to be long lasting requires the participation of the woman of the society . In case their participation cannot be ensured then any development is not going to be deep rooted as half the intended beneficiaries have not been made party to the development process. It is in this context that the issue of sanitation assumes importance.
It is true that female enrollment in schools is low and gradually tapers down by the time the girl acquires puberty. One of the most functional problem that a female in third world country faces is the lack of adequate toilets for them in any public place and in particular the schools. The aspect of cleanliness is not being touched upon as it is less said the better. However it is pertinent to note that separate toilet for girls in schools are next to nonexistent. Now in the absence of toilets the functional problems that the girl faces is simply phenomenal. In fact it is worth imagining that you are suppose to apply yourself to gain knowledge and when it comes to performing the most basic function you are left high and dry.
At what cost? Going behind the bushes or behind a wall under the prying eyes of all antisocial elements. Thus the basic incentive to go to school is defeated. Even in the schools were the toilets are there they are common and are mostly dominated by the boys. As the girl grows the problem magnifies and as a result they find it better to leave the formal schooling and contribute to the family labour on farms or as labourer.
Thus the sanitation program of the third world country ought to have a very strong input of provisioning of toilets for females in schools and places of education. This is going to give a boost to the education level of females thereby imparting huge push to the various welfare measures being run concurrently.
By Rajiv Tewari
Rehana is a five year old girl in a small town of India. She has two elder brothers aged 7 and 9 years respectively. Her father is a small time vehicle mechanic and is barely able to meet ends for his family. Rehana’s brother goes to the neighbouring school but Rehana till now has got the opportunity to go to the school as she is a girl child in the family. Even when it comes to the sharing of food also she is not given milk and her share of vegetables and meat is almost next to negligible. Thus her nutritional and social requirements are being curbed inadvertently by the society. It is because of her gender.
This is a story which is being repeated in almost most of the countries of the third world in particular irrespective of religion or country. In this scenario one finds that the awareness level for the gender issues is grossly lacking and is next to non existing at the level where the girl child is being systematically discriminated at all times . The huge gap in terms of awareness and ground action makes us think of the efficacy of the various projects being run by all actors both state and non state. Where we lack is the question that haunts us at all times and we are not able to find the appropriate answer to the question.
Is it because of the deep rooted psychological effect due to years and years of conditioning or due to our inability to introduce change in the society? Change is always painful and Bentham was correct in dwelling on the issue that we tend to prolong our pleasure and pain is always to be avoided. Thus all the males and the privileged females are not too keen to see the change transcending in the society. May it will demolish the old social order or may be so painful that none is interested in initiating it. Yet it is in the interest of humanity to empower its almost half of its inhabitants in case it wishes to meet the challenges being faced by humanity. The challenges at all levels are so grave that they can only be faced by the cooperation of all stake holders and only then it can be met with all the might. Otherwise since half of our population is under represented thus the efforts to meet the challenges will also be half hearted. So it is simple enough for us to imagine the probability of our success in case we do not take proactive steps to empower our suppressed and discriminated female population.
The patriarchal society prevailing in large parts of the world is the cause for all discrimination being faced by women across the world. The reason is simple - As efforts have been on to dismantle the patriarchal system, it is apparent that there is a tremendous degree of resistance to the fact that we cannot give space to women in society. Legal steps have been initiated in the international community and yet it is apparent that the will is lacking as far as implementing the same on ground is concerned.
The age old discrimination being faced by the woman is so blatant and obvious that any action initiated is bound to meet with resistance at all steps of changes visualized in the proposed law of the land. These discriminatory acts start in the most basic of family and society affairs and then keep on piling up to add to the woes of the world woman population.
It is imperative that such changes are enunciated at the family level and it is only then it will be possible for the woman to have their rightful place in the society that had been denied to them since time immemorial. In the family it is the mother who can be the true harbinger of change in the attitude that one desires in the society. Who else but a mother who can well understand the blatant infringement of rights being faced by the women fraternity? Thus it should be the endeavor of all concerned in the governance of nations to target the mother by all available means to implement this attitudinal change.
It is going to be a very slow process yet it can show results in years to come. Since today’s attitudes have got crystallized in years of propaganda and lack of awareness hence the same will get dismantled in the same time frame. yet we have to pledge ourselves that we will not give up our fight to see these attitudes going into oblivion.
By Rajiv Tewari
