Women's Rights to Pee

Dearth of adequate public urinary facilities, women in India’s commercial capital of Mumbai have launched a unique campaign called the “Right to Pee” campaign in order to demand better toilet facilities for women.

Currently public toilets are available to women, but at a fee, while men who often use public space to relieve themselves, can use public lavatories for free.

“They should be allowed to pee for free, the public toilets should provide vending machines with sanitary towels, like men have for condoms, and they should have a changing room in the toilets,” said Rahul Gaekwad, a leader of one of the 35 NGOs who have come together for the campaign.

The NGOs have been gathering public support through a signature campaign and claim to have the support of more than 7,000 people so far mainly in the suburbs of Mumbai.

People supporting the campaign have said that the issue was one of dignity for women. They felt the way in which the city fathers maintained the public toilets was a downright insult to women of the city.

The campaigners have surveyed public toilets over the last year and found that the facilities for women were not only woefully inadequate, but also ill maintained. Their last year’s campaign received absolutely lukewarm response from the civic authority.

This time round the campaigners want to confront the female members of the authority after collecting as many signatures as possible. The Mumbai civic authority comprises of 50 percent women members. They hope to specifically draw their attention of the women members to the plight of the rest of the city’s women.

The campaign is drawing support from both men and women, but the campaigners feel they need to drum up more support if they have to convince the authorities.