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Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- A broader mechanism for achieving access to water and sanitation services for people living in poverty is to put in place "social protection floors". These are nationally defined basic social security guarantees that ensure access to essential services, including water and sanitation, as well as providing basic income security to those in need. Human Rights Council resolution 28/12 of 9 April 2015 acknowledged "that social protection floors may facilitate the enjoyment of human rights… safe drinking water and sanitation, in accordance with the human rights obligations of States" and encouraged "States to put in place social protection floors as part of comprehensive social protection systems" (A/HRC/RES/28/12, paras. 6 and 8). Social protection floors can be particularly relevant for achieving gender equality and protecting marginalized or disadvantaged individuals and groups. At the national level, for instance, Cambodia has made support for sanitation and water in times of emergency and crisis a key intervention under the National Social Protection Strategy for the Poor and Vulnerable. In Mexico, the federal budget for social spending, which contributes to building a social protection floor, includes water supply and sewerage.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Although the pivotal role of women as providers and users of water, as well as the need to equip and empower women to participate at all levels in water resources programmes, has long been recognized, it is mostly men who manage and control the water services, resources, wastewater and solid waste industries at all levels. The integration of women into these types of jobs can contribute to gender mainstreaming throughout the sector and to services being managed from the perspective of women. Women's participation in the sector can be encouraged by developing policies and strategies, including on education, with defined targets and timelines. As a good example, in the National Drinking Water Policy of Pakistan it is outlined that special efforts will be made to recruit and induct women in water supply-related institutions and other relevant agencies to ensure that the needs of women are adequately addressed in the design, operation and maintenance of water supply systems. Aquafed and the Women for Water Partnership have reported that they are working together with companies and water associations to develop employment policies that aim to increase the representation of women in their staff and to remove prejudices against female employees.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Adequate water and sanitation services, including menstrual hygiene facilities, must be accessible in the workplace, without hindrance, for all employees, in a manner that corresponds with their gender identity. The Special Rapporteur has noted that there is an urgent need to recognize and address the currently neglected lack of facilities that allow for adequate sanitation and menstrual hygiene management for women and girls in the workplace. Women and girls risk their health or miss out on workdays when such facilities are lacking. For example, 60 per cent of all women working in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia work in the agriculture sector and their workplace often does not include facilities that would allow them to manage their sanitation and menstruation, or those facilities are located far away from the place of work. Regulations often do not apply to women working in the informal sector, and women working in public spaces such as markets often have no access to facilities altogether. In the manufacturing industry and in dense urban areas, women and girls sometimes work in overcrowded spaces where privacy is limited and sanitation facilities and spaces are inadequate to manage their menstruation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Development cooperation and the human rights to water and sanitation 2017, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Furthermore, often forgotten in development projects are the safe management of on-site sanitation and faecal sludge, hygiene promotion and menstrual hygiene management. In the projects assessed, it was observed that hygiene management is often absent, particularly menstrual hygiene management, under the pretext that it is “culturally” difficult to address.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- At the national level, legal protections must be formulated to ensure the active participation of key stakeholders, including women and marginalized groups, in the formulation and implementation of policies. Governments must put in place mechanisms to involve women in the formulation of regulations and policies on water and sanitation and in decisions related to financing and budgeting, to influence the focus of monetary investments.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- Where it is not yet possible to have access to services on site, it is important to scale up the construction of safe and nearby community toilets. As mentioned above, there is a multitude of psychosocial stress factors that women face owing to unsafe, inadequate or absent sanitation facilities. To reduce the risk of women and girls experiencing violence, building codes for community water and sanitation facilities should include gender considerations such as sex-segregated cubicles, closeness to the house and lighted pathways to and at facilities. The location should also make it possible for a concierge to be present and monitor the surroundings. It is important to note, however, that building safer latrines in or close to households does not eliminate the risk of gender-based violence, as the measure does not address the root causes of violence. As outlined by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, adequate sanitation without attention to gendered relations of power puts the burden of safety on women and does not address gender-based patterns of violence against women, which require a far more structural approach. Building safer facilities may sometimes, however, take away a burden for women and girls to visit public toilets that provide for privacy and safety. In this context, WaterAid has developed a toolkit for practitioners.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- External assistance from non-governmental organizations, development agencies or the private sector should comply with human rights and may include measures to eliminate gender inequalities in access. States should include such needs into their official financial plans to ensure that they comply with the regulatory and policy framework developed to decrease gender inequalities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- While taxes are a key source of financing for such gender responsive initiatives, they can have detrimental effects on the poorest women. Governments must therefore carefully screen the effects of different tax mechanisms. For example, while value-added taxes may appear gender-neutral, they may disproportionately affect those living in poverty. Certainly, applying value-added tax to menstrual hygiene products disproportionately affects women and girls.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Gender
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Gender-based violence can be defined as acts that "inflict physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty". It is a widespread issue rooted in power differences and structural inequality between men and women, although men and boys can also suffer gender-based violence. As the Secretary-General has pointed out: "Violence against women and girls makes its hideous imprint on every continent, country and culture".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Laws, policies and strategies should not inadvertently reinforce gender stereotypes but should seek to transform them. It is important that policies and strategies explicitly mention the different experiences of men and women and marginalized groups, otherwise documents that may seem gender-neutral will hide important differences between genders and will in practice benefit some persons more than others with regard to water and sanitation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Many legal constituencies, however, have laws in place that hinder the equal enjoyment of the rights to water and sanitation. In many countries, land ownership, which is a precondition for gaining access to water, is often denied to women by family laws that also make it difficult for women to inherit land. Some countries criminalize open defecation while at the same time closing down public sanitation facilities. Public urination and defecation is often criminalized and laws that aim to keep cities clean may discriminate against homeless persons who have no other option but to relieve themselves in the open. Among them are many women and girls in desperate need of an adequate facility that offers privacy. Some States allow individuals to use toilets in a manner consistent with that person's chosen gender identity while other States oblige persons to use only those toilets that correspond with the biological sex listed on their birth certificate. Restrictive gender recognition laws not only severely undermine transgender peoples' ability to enjoy their rights to basic services, it also prevents them from living safely, free from violence and discrimination. Water and sanitation facilities must be safe, available, accessible, affordable, socially and culturally acceptable, provide privacy and ensure dignity for all individuals, including those who are transgender and gender non-conforming.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Gender-based violence infringes the right to life, personal safety and freedom of movement. Gender non-conforming people often feel that they need to sign away their freedom of expression since segregation by gender - including in public toilets, detention centres, relief camps and school - poses a risk of exclusion, humiliation and violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- In addition, the Special Rapporteur recommends that development cooperation entities ensure that external assistance from non-governmental organizations, development agencies and the private sector comply with human rights standards and include measures to eliminate gender inequalities in access.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 77n
- Paragraph text
- [In line with the above, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States:] Complement quantitative data on water, sanitation and hygiene with qualitative methods, to improve understanding and interpretation of gender-related issues and to inform and validate survey methods and techniques.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 77l
- Paragraph text
- [In line with the above, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States:] Monitor intra-household inequalities and the way in which inequalities based on gender become manifest in extra-household settings, including in facilities in public institutions;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 77k
- Paragraph text
- [In line with the above, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States:] Develop a gender indicator system to improve the collection of data disaggregated by sex and other relevant factors, which are necessary to assess the impact and effectiveness of policies aimed at mainstreaming gender equality and enhancing women's enjoyment of their human rights to water and sanitation;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 77g
- Paragraph text
- [In line with the above, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States:] Apply a gender analysis and increase women's participation in the formulation of government budgets to water, sanitation and hygiene;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 77f
- Paragraph text
- [In line with the above, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States:] Increase collaboration between entities operating in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector and those operating in other sectors, including the health sector, to address gender inequalities and culturally taboo topics more effectively and in a comprehensive manner;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 77e
- Paragraph text
- [In line with the above, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States:] Promote gender equality, through intersectional policies, considering that gender-based inequalities related to water and sanitation are exacerbated when they are coupled with other grounds of discrimination and disadvantages;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 77d
- Paragraph text
- [In line with the above, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States:] Create an enabling environment for women and girls to safely use water and sanitation facilities. Discrimination and violence based on gender identity must be prevented, investigated and remedied, and those responsible must be prosecuted;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 77c
- Paragraph text
- [In line with the above, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States:] Make a legitimate effort to prevent and combat the root causes of gender inequalities, including the impacts of social norms, stereotypes, roles and taboos with regard to both women and men, through public campaigns, education and the media, among other measures;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 77b
- Paragraph text
- [In line with the above, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States:] Go beyond enacting formal provisions and implement targeted policies and budgets, among other measures, in order to tackle structural gender inequalities for the enjoyment of the rights to water and sanitation;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- States must monitor the extent to which they and third parties comply with the legal content of the human rights to water and sanitation and of human rights principles. States must monitor decision-making processes and policy implementation, including on national and local budgets, to track whether they serve to close existing gender-based inequalities. The effectiveness of review and monitoring requires the allocation of sufficient resources, transparency of government and State bodies that are independent of government interference. It requires that those in positions of authority have clearly defined duties and performance standards, enabling their actions to be assessed transparently and objectively. Courts, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations, independent regulators and ombudspersons play an important role in identifying and addressing gender inequalities in the enjoyment of the rights to water and sanitation and must be supported by the State in doing so. Social movements play an important role in holding the State to account as they can press public officials into being more answerable and request reasoned justifications for actions and decisions. For example, thousands of women in slum areas in Nairobi affected by a lack of toilets and bathing facilities signed a petition asking the Ministry of Health to conduct a public inquiry in informal settlements, and succeeded.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Development cooperation in the water and sanitation sector 2016, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- The process of incorporating the human rights to water and sanitation in development cooperation has not been a straightforward, consensual or expeditious process. International events have provided opportunities for governmental bodies to make various human rights-related commitments. One clear example of this is the Accra Agenda for Action of 2008, agreed to by developed and developing countries, in which it was indicated that developing countries and donors would ensure that their respective development policies and programmes were designed and implemented in ways consistent with their agreed international commitments on gender equality, human rights, disability and environmental sustainability. More recently, the Ministerial Declaration of the Sixth World Water Forum (2012), adopted by representatives of 145 countries, demonstrated a true international consensus on the right to water and sanitation and the commitment by Governments to accelerating access to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation in line with United Nations resolutions. In the Ministerial Declaration of the Seventh World Water Forum (2015), signatories indicated their engagement to translate commitments into national policies, plans and actions and to intensify joint efforts to advance water-related cooperation on a global scale, as well as their commitments to the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation and to ensuring progressive access to water and sanitation for all.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- Although sometimes monetized in economic analyses, interventions provide some intangible benefits related to time saved, dignity gained and diseases and deaths prevented. The particularly positive impact for women and girls of investing in water and sanitation is crucial for achieving gender equality. Environmental benefits are also significant, given that improving water and sanitation services helps combat contamination and environmental degradation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Affordability of water and sanitation services 2015, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- In addition to material costs of service provision, the time spent on collecting water and accessing sanitation facilities outside the home must also be valued. As women and girls are largely responsible for collecting water, maintaining and cleaning sanitation facilities, and for ensuring the hygienic management of the household, these time costs have an important gender equality dimension.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Participation in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2014, para. 91b (iv)
- Paragraph text
- [States must take the following measures:] States must take concrete and deliberate measures to ensure that participatory processes are inclusive and do not inadvertently further entrench inequalities, including by: Addressing gender stereotypes;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Sustainability and non-retrogression in the realisation of the rights to water and sanitation 2013, para. 86m
- Paragraph text
- [In line with the above, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States:] Include a water and sanitation goal in the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015 targeted at eliminating inequalities in access and ensuring sustainability.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Stigma and the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2012, para. 82d
- Paragraph text
- [In line with the above, the Special Rapporteur offers the following recommendations:] National human rights institutions, as well as civil society organizations, should explicitly address stigma as part of their work, empowering stigmatized individuals to claim their rights and supporting States to address stigma as part of their human rights obligations;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Stigma and the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2012, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- In the context of sex workers, the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, a grassroots sex workers' collective in India, began organizing self-regulatory boards made up of its staff, doctors, advocates, national human rights commissioners, local politicians and officials, and sex workers themselves in a number of red-light districts. Their objectives included mitigating violence against sex workers, but also brought about improvements in access to water and sanitation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph