WATER SANITATION AND HYGIENE (WASH)
Safely managed drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are essential to human health and well-being. Access to WASH contributes to good health and the prevention of disease, enables participation in other areas of life such as livelihoods, school and training and has social and economic impacts on individuals, as well as communities and nations. WASH is a gendered issue, with women often bearing the socially prescribed responsibility for household water provision and providing WASH-related care to family members who require it. Women and girls have additional WASH requirements related to menstrual hygiene management, and may be more at risk of incontinence. Incontinence can be classified as faecal, urine, or both. Urinary incontinence is defined as the involuntary loss of urine that is objectively demonstrable, and is a social or hygienic problem. Faecal, or bowel, incontinence is an inability to control bowel movements, resulting in the involuntary passage of stools5. Incontinence is a complex health and social issue that is largely taboo and widely overlooked. It is estimated that incontinence affects 1 in 4 women over the age of 35 years, and 1 in 10 adult men. These figures are mostly from high-income settings and it is likely may be higher in Low and Middle Income Countries, although evidence is lacking. Incontinence affects a wide variety of people, particularly older people, mothers, children and persons with disabilities. Incontinence also leads to
additional WASH requirements, in part due to increased need to bathe and use the latrine, and can be extremely stigmatising – particularly when these WASH requirements cannot be met.
WASH AND DISABILITY
Globally, there are an estimated 1 billion people with disabilities (approximately 15% of the world’s population)8. People with disabilities commonly have less adequate access to WASH services than people without disabilities9. Within their homes, people with disabilities are less likely to have access to bathing and latrines, and face stigma and discrimination when using public WASH services.
WASH AND DISABILITY IN VANUATU
Vanuatu is a Pacific nation of 83 islands extended over 1000 kilometres that is considered one of the most vulnerable to natural disaster in the world. Combined coverage of basic water and sanitation is lower in the Pacific than any other region, and lower in Vanuatu than many of its Pacific neighbours. Less than half of ni-Vanuatu have access to safely managed drinking water, less than two thirds have access to at least basic sanitation and less than three quarters have a basic handwashing facility at home. According to Vanuatu’s 2009 Census, around 5 percent of the population were found to have a mild, moderate or severe disability14. This is lower than the often-stated global estimate of 15%, however more recent evidence has shown a wider range of estimates across different settings, and confirmed the historic impact of using non-standardised or impairment-based methodologies8,15,16 Vanuatu has demonstrated considerable commitment towards the rights of persons with disabilities and to gender equality. This includes ratifying the UNCRPD14, establishing disability related strategies, action plans, and a Disability Desk within the Ministry of Justice and Community Services14. Additionally, the Vanuatu National Sustainable Development Plan 2016 – 2030 (“Vanuatu 2030: The People’s Plan”) formalises the Republic’s commitments to the Sustainable Development Agenda and to disability and gender inclusive progress, including Economy Pillar Objective 2.2 “Ensure all people have reliable access to safe drinking water and sanitation infrastructure”. However, little rigorous evidence exists about people with disabilities’ access to WASH services within Vanuatu and the impact of poor WASH access on women. Moreover, limited evidence exists globally on MHM and incontinence. The Water, Women and Disability Study was undertaken to address these gaps to inform programming, policy, and advocacy interventions.
Read the full report HERE.