Open defecation
Open defecation is the human practice of defecating outside rather than into a toilet. People may choose fields, bushes, forests, ditches, streets, canals, or other open spaces for defecation. They do so either because they do not have a toilet readily accessible or due to archaic traditional cultural practices. The practice is common where sanitation infrastructure and services are not available. Even if toilets are available, behavior change efforts may still be needed to promote the use of toilets. 'Open defecation free' is a term used to describe communities that have shifted to using toilets instead of open defecation. This can happen, for example, after community-led total sanitation programs have been implemented.
Open defecation can pollute the environment and cause health problems and diseases. High levels of open defecation are linked to high child mortality, poor nutrition, poverty, and large disparities between rich and poor. Ending open defecation is an indicator being used to measure progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal Number 6. Extreme poverty and lack of sanitation are statistically linked. Therefore, eliminating open defecation is thought to be an important part of the effort to eliminate poverty.
In 2022, 420 million people were practicing open defecation, a significant decline from about 1.31 billion in 2000, representing a reduction of 890 million people or 16.17% points over 22 years. Of those practicing open defecation, 275 million were living in just seven countries. In India, for example, the number had decreased by 62%, showcasing the country's significant efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. However, despite the progress, Nigeria still had the largest number of people practicing open defecation followed by Ethiopia, Niger, Pakistan and Indonesia.
Overview
In ancient times, when there were more open spaces and less population pressure on land, open defecation was a common practice which brought fewer health and hygiene problems. With development and urbanization, open defecating started becoming an important public health issue, and an issue of human dignity. With the increase in population in smaller areas, such as cities and towns, more attention was given to hygiene and health. As a result, there was an increase in global attention towards reducing the practice of open defecation.Open defecation perpetuates the vicious cycle of disease and poverty and is widely regarded as an affront to personal dignity. The countries where open defecation is most widely practiced have the highest numbers of deaths of children under the age of five, as well as high levels of undernutrition, high levels of poverty, and large disparities between people of means and the poor.
Terminology
The term "open defecation" became widely used in the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector from about 2008 onwards. This was due to the publications by the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation and the UN International Year of Sanitation. The JMP is a joint program by WHO and UNICEF that was earlier tasked to monitor the water and sanitation targets of the Millennium development goals ; it is now tasked to monitor Sustainable Development Goal Number 6.For monitoring of the MDG Number 7, two categories were created: 1) improved sanitation and unimproved sanitation. Open defecation falls into the category of unimproved sanitation. This means that people who practice open defecation do not have access to improved sanitation.
In 2013, World Toilet Day was celebrated as an official UN day for the first time. The term "open defecation" was used in high-level speeches, which helped to draw global attention to this issue.
Open defecation free
"Open defecation free" is a phrase first used in community-led total sanitation programs. ODF has now entered use in other contexts. The original meaning of ODF stated that all community members are using sanitation facilities instead of going to the open for defecation. This definition was improved and more criteria were added in some countries that have adopted the CLTS approach in their programs to stop the practice of open defecation.The Indian Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in mid-2015 defined ODF as "the termination of fecal–oral transmission, defined by:
- No visible feces found in the environment or village and
- Every household as well as public/community institutions using safe technology option for disposal of feces".
Reasons
The reasons for open defecation are varied. It can be a voluntary, semi-voluntary or involuntary choice. Most of the time, a lack of access to a toilet is the reason. However, in some places even people with toilets in their houses prefer to defecate in the open.A few broad factors that result in the practice of open defecation are listed below.
No toilet
Open defecation frequently occurs when people lack toilets in their houses, or in the areas where they live. Lack of toilets in places away from people's houses, such as in schools or on farms, also leads people to defecate in the open. Another example is a lack of public toilets in cities, whether by a reluctance among businesses to allow patrons to use their toilets or limited hours, which can be a big problem for homeless people.In some rural communities, toilets are used for other purposes, such as storing household items, animals, or farm products or use as kitchens. In such cases, people go outside to defecate.
Uncomfortable or unsafe toilet
Sometimes people have access to a toilet, but the toilet might be broken, or of poor quality – outdoor toilets typically are devoid of any type of cleaning and have strong unpleasant odors. Some toilets are not well lit at all times, especially in areas that lack electricity. Others lack doors or may not have water. Toilets with maggots or cockroaches are also disliked by people, so they go outside to defecate.Some toilets are risky to access. There may be a risk to personal safety due to lack of lights at night, criminals around them, or the presence of animals such as snakes and dogs. Women and children who do not have toilets inside their houses are often found to be scared to access shared or public toilets, especially at night. Accessing toilets that are not located in the house might be a problem for disabled people, especially at night. In some parts of the world, Zambia for example, very young children are discouraged from using pit latrines due to the risk of falling through the open drop-hole. Some toilets do not have a real door, but have a cloth hung as a door. In some communities, toilets are located in places where women are shy to access them due to the presence of men.
If there is no water supply, people may need to get water from a distance before using the toilet. This is an additional task and needs extra time.
If too many people want to use a toilet at the same time, some people may go outside to defecate instead of waiting. In some cases, people might not be able to wait due to diarrhea or other gastric urgency. In the case of home pit latrines, some people fear that their toilet pits will get filled very fast if all family members use them every day, so they continue to go outside to delay the toilet pit filling up.
Unrelated to toilet infrastructure
Some communities have safe and accessible toilets, yet people prefer to defecate in the open. In some cases, these toilets are provided by the government or other organizations and people do not like them, do not value them, or do not know the benefits of using them. They continue to defecate in the open. Older people are often found to defecate in the open and are hesitant to change their behavior and go inside a closed toilet.Some people prefer being in nature while defecating, as opposed to an enclosed space. This happens mostly in less populated or rural areas, where people walk outside early in the morning and go to defecate in the fields or bushes. In some cases there may be a cultural or habitual preference for open defecation. Some consider it a social activity, especially women who like to take some time to go out of their homes. While on their way to the fields for open defecation they can talk to other women and take care of their animals.
Open defecation is a part of people's life and daily habits in some regions. For instance, a 2011 survey in rural East Java, Indonesia, found that many men considered the practice 'normal', and having distinct benefits such as social interaction and physical comfort. In some cultures, there may be social taboos, such as a father-in-law may not use the same toilet as a daughter-in-law in the same household. Open defecation is a preferred practice in some parts of the world, with many respondents in a survey from 2015 stating that "open defecation was more pleasurable and desirable than latrine use". In some societies, open defecation is an intentional and widely used means of fertilization.
People with fecal incontinence can have abrupt 'emergencies' and not enough time to access a toilet, which can make open defecation their only option in such scenarios.