Mail.comISLAMABAD (AP) — More than 40 million people in Pakistan do not have access to a toilet, forcing them to defecate in the open, which in turn is a major contributor to stunting in the country, a top UNICEF official said.
“There are 41 million people who do not have access to a toilet in Pakistan and as a result they are defecating in the open. And open defecation has significant health and nutritional consequences,” said Geeta Rao Gupta, deputy executive director at UNICEF. She recently spoke to The Associated Press during a trip to Pakistan to draw attention to the problem.
“Open defecation is a major contributor to stunting and that’s why we’ve got to do all we can to stop it,” she said. Pakistan is the third-largest country when it comes to people going to the bathroom in the open, behind India and Indonesia. The problem can spread disease and lead to intestinal infections, which can contribute to stunting in young children, she said.
Stunting means children don’t grow as tall as they would otherwise, and it can also affect a child’s brain development. Stunted children are more at risk of disease, don’t do as well in school and stunted mothers can also give birth to stunted children.
UNICEF is working with the Pakistani government to improve sanitation by doing things like encouraging people to wash their hands more often. They’re also working with communities to help them build toilets so they don’t have to use the bathroom in a field or elsewhere.
Building more toilets is also vital for empowering women and girls and keeping them in school, Gupta said. If women have to walk long distances to find a private place to relieve themselves, they are more vulnerable and exposed to attack. They’re also less likely to go to school if there are no toilets.
“Having toilets is a big advantage to girls,” she said.
40 million is approx. 25% of the population of Pakistan….
Endless war probably exacerbates the situation. Maybe we should buy them a million toilets so we can blow them to oblivion the following day with unrepentant muslims on the seat. The people of this globe would be better told to watch out for the dictates of unicef. It isn’t the lack of toilets. It’s the abundance of ignorance, fear and war. Just for the uninitiated when and if ignorance, fear and war are ever overcome toilet seats will be as plentiful as an honest news report.
And next they’re going to insist that Americans should pay for Pakistan’s new plumbing project.
Give them shovels and let ’em bury it, and if they haven’t figured out how to do that by themselves, what makes you think they’re going to flush a toilet?
No wonder showing or hitting someone with the bottom of your shoe is such an insult in that culture.
Who knows how many open air piles have been stepped on while wearing the shoes. Going barefoot must be a real bummer, especially at night.
They’re not big on toilet paper either. They use the “direct” method, if you catch my drift.
Hence another cultural taboo of not shaking, touching or waving (I think) with the left hand. Everyone knows where it’s been.
C’mon. I was trying to be funny.
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CO