46
H. B. N. Yongsi
particularly in public places, such as in schools, workplaces or health centres, pose a
major obstacle to women and girls. The lack of safety toilets, and the unavailability
of means to dispose of used sanitary pads and water to wash hands, expose women
and girls to face challenges in maintaining their menstrual hygiene (i.e. their sexual
health) in a private, safe and dignified manner. A growing body of evidence shows
that women and girls’ inability to manage their menstrual hygiene in schools and
in working environment, results in school and work absenteeism, which in turn,
has severe economic costs on their lives and on the country (ANSD 2016; INS/ICF
International 2012).
Results presented here derive from a joint WSSCC/UN women research under the
framework of the Joint Programme on Gender, Hygiene and Sanitation implemented
in 3 countries of West and Central Africa (Cameroon, Niger and Senegal). Data were
collected using a cross-sectional epidemiological design and a mixed quantitative
and qualitative analysis. Our work has led to two main results:
2.1 Less Provision, Unsatisfactory and Unsafe Wash
Infrastructure in Women Public Working Places
In Sub-Saharan African countries, access to WASH facilities is a challenge for women
working in public places. Findings show that regardless of the country, toilets used
by women are dominated by the latrines, moreover insufficient because the WHO
standard of 20 individuals per latrine is rarely applied (Fig. 1).
Visited facilities are poorly managed and irregularly cleaned (twice per week).
Maintenance here relies only on little repairs (Fig. 2).
Not only those toilets are in poor condition, but they are also unsafe. All countries
taken together, the toilets display the following characteristics: limited space, no
locks on doors (when/where it exists), no lighting (Fig. 3). In short, more toilets need
as well as better maintenance. And with regard to menstrual waste management, it
appears to be an overlooked issue.
2.2 Impact on Women’s Health and Economic Activities
A high proportion of women claim that the onset of menstruation is a time of pyschological and physical ill-being, because of menstrual-related health problems they
regularly face (Table 1).
Always in relation to their daily life, women assert to be excluded and stigmatized
within their family and community during menstrual periods. In Cameroon, 44 and
56% of women have reported having suffered, respectively, from isolation and stress
along with stigmatization. In Niger, they represented 39 and 61%, whereas in Senegal,
they were 47 and 53% (Mitullah et al. 2016; UNICEF 2015).
H. B. N. Yongsi
particularly in public places, such as in schools, workplaces or health centres, pose a
major obstacle to women and girls. The lack of safety toilets, and the unavailability
of means to dispose of used sanitary pads and water to wash hands, expose women
and girls to face challenges in maintaining their menstrual hygiene (i.e. their sexual
health) in a private, safe and dignified manner. A growing body of evidence shows
that women and girls’ inability to manage their menstrual hygiene in schools and
in working environment, results in school and work absenteeism, which in turn,
has severe economic costs on their lives and on the country (ANSD 2016; INS/ICF
International 2012).
Results presented here derive from a joint WSSCC/UN women research under the
framework of the Joint Programme on Gender, Hygiene and Sanitation implemented
in 3 countries of West and Central Africa (Cameroon, Niger and Senegal). Data were
collected using a cross-sectional epidemiological design and a mixed quantitative
and qualitative analysis. Our work has led to two main results:
2.1 Less Provision, Unsatisfactory and Unsafe Wash
Infrastructure in Women Public Working Places
In Sub-Saharan African countries, access to WASH facilities is a challenge for women
working in public places. Findings show that regardless of the country, toilets used
by women are dominated by the latrines, moreover insufficient because the WHO
standard of 20 individuals per latrine is rarely applied (Fig. 1).
Visited facilities are poorly managed and irregularly cleaned (twice per week).
Maintenance here relies only on little repairs (Fig. 2).
Not only those toilets are in poor condition, but they are also unsafe. All countries
taken together, the toilets display the following characteristics: limited space, no
locks on doors (when/where it exists), no lighting (Fig. 3). In short, more toilets need
as well as better maintenance. And with regard to menstrual waste management, it
appears to be an overlooked issue.
2.2 Impact on Women’s Health and Economic Activities
A high proportion of women claim that the onset of menstruation is a time of pyschological and physical ill-being, because of menstrual-related health problems they
regularly face (Table 1).
Always in relation to their daily life, women assert to be excluded and stigmatized
within their family and community during menstrual periods. In Cameroon, 44 and
56% of women have reported having suffered, respectively, from isolation and stress
along with stigmatization. In Niger, they represented 39 and 61%, whereas in Senegal,
they were 47 and 53% (Mitullah et al. 2016; UNICEF 2015).