KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 22

Access to household toilets is often seen as just a water and sanitation issue or a public health concern. But the recent murders of two young Indian girls have highlighted another aspect - women's safety and security.

As reported in the media, the two teenage girls went into the fields by their village in Uttar Pradesh in search of a discreet place to relieve themselves and never returned. Instead, the girls were found raped and hanged from a mango tree on the outskirts of the village.

The case has aroused public outrage and intense media scrutiny. It has also highlighted the importance of accessible toilets in protecting girls and women from the increased risk of sexual harassment, abuse, and violence.

Around the world, an estimated 2.5 billion people live without toilets, forcing a majority of them to defecate in open areas - in fields, along rivers, or in alleyways. About two-thirds live in Asia and the Pacific. In India alone, more than half of the country's 1.2 billion people do not have a toilet and the country is home to the highest number of people practicing open defecation.

A version of this article appears in the print on November 22, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.