Jocalyn Clark: Why has Bangladesh had such success in improving sanitation, but not neighboring India? - BMJ Blogs
▻http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2014/09/23/jocalyn-clark-why-has-bangladesh-had-such-success-in-improving-sanitation
Access to toilets is not enough, which the current Indian scenario illustrates: billions of rupees have been spent or pledged to spend on building toilets in the past 15 years, but the majority of people with government latrines don’t use them. A trial last month in PLOS Medicine revealed the failings of an Indian government program providing financial incentives to build improved latrine facilities
[meanwhile in Bangladesh the open defecation rate fell to under 3%:]
it wasn’t just health messages, but “shame and disgust” messages that were part of the campaign, says Dr Begum. Messages such as: “if we openly defecate, you will be eating other people’s feces.”
Social norms changed too: having a household toilet became a status symbol signifying dignity. Marriage arrangements began to include latrine reviews in the homes of prospective spouses. Gender sensitivity was recognized: women were included in making decisions about the location and type of latrines, and they sat on the community committees, while men were given tailored health promotion about hygiene.
Incentives were key
#toilettes #santé #inde #bangladesh
