Women and girls are bearing the heaviest burden for water scarcity in households around the world.
Women are most likely to be responsible for fetching water for households, according to the UN. Girls are nearly twice as likely as boys to bear the responsibility and be affected by the impact of water scarcity, it said on Thursday.
Women and girls are responsible for fetching water in seven out of 10 households that are without water supplies on premises and also more likely to feel unsafe using a toilet outside of the home, a report by WHO and UN children's agency Unicef said.
“Every step a girl takes to collect water is a step away from learning, play, and safety,” said Cecilia Sharp, UNICEF Director of Wash.
Poverty circles
"Unsafe water, toilets, and handwashing at home robs girls of their potential, compromises their well-being and perpetuates cycles of poverty," she added.
Globally, 1.8 billion people were found to live in households without access to clean water supplies.
“Women and girls make longer journeys to collect it (water), losing time in education, work, and leisure, and putting themselves at risk of physical injury and dangers on the way,” according to the report.
It said more than half a billion people still share sanitation facilities with other households, compromising women’s and girls’ privacy, dignity and safety. The report called on governments to put more efforts in ensuring access to water and sanitation facilities.
