By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Jan 4: The women-dominated market space in Khyndai Lad and Iewduh is renowned for its unique standing in a country often dominated by men. However, the unnoticed challenge lies in the inadequate facilities for women farmers and shopkeepers who travel not just from the city but also from far-flung areas to sell their produce.
When discussing facilities, it is not a matter of luxury; it is about the basic availability of usable public toilets. A study by the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) last year revealed that 32 per cent of women hawkers at Iewduh, the city’s largest marketplace, contracted Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) due to the absence of clean and hygienic toilets.
A farmer, who comes to sell her produce all the way from Smit, told The Shillong Times that she comes to the market as early as 5 am, and has to hold her urge owing to the fear of infections, and now she is sort of used to it.
“It is easy for the men folk, they do not need a private space, neither do they need to hold back anything,” she chuckled through her Kwai-stained teeth.
The lack of restroom facilities for women becomes particularly challenging, especially during menstruation. This poses a potential health risk as exposure to unhygienic conditions and infrequent changing of sanitary napkins or clothes can have direct implications on women’s well-being.
Stating the same problem, a relatively younger farmer, who also comes to sell her produce from Smit, said on days she is menstruating, it is a nightmare for her, and she avoids coming to the market place on days like that.
“It would be really helpful if there was some sort of hygienic restroom, as this market place has women coming down in huge numbers,” she said, who resorts to the traditional method while menstruating.
This also draws another worrying trend as the National Family Health Survey Report (NFHS-5) had earlier reported that that only 65.35 women aged between 15 and 49 in Meghalaya resort to using hygienic menstruation protection methods, a minimal growth when compared to the NFHS-4, which had reported that 64.2% of women resort to women using hygienic menstrual hygiene.
Similarly, the hustling and bustling market place of Khyndai Lad which see thousands of tourists throng the streets, do not have public toilets beyond one or two that charge the public as much as 30 bucks for a single time use, while also not maintaining hygiene.
There’s an urgent need to integrate gender considerations into development policies, recognizing that policies can impact genders differently. Specifically, non-responsive water, hygiene, and sanitation (WASH) policies neglect the economic and social consequences of inadequate sanitary facilities for women. Access to public toilets is a crucial aspect of women’s broader access to public spaces.
Insufficient public facilities hinder women’s mobility, both socially and economically. For example, the lack of toilets and the presence of unclean and poorly-designed facilities constrain women’s involvement in the workforce and their ability to sustain employment in urban areas.