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User:JustinePorto/Public toilets in Libya

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Public toilets in Libya
stone toilet
Archaeological site of Leptis Magna, Libya
Language of toilets
Local wordsWC
Men's toiletsMen
Women's toiletsWomen
Public toilet statistics
Toilets per 100,000 people??? (2021)
Total toilets??
Public toilet use
TypeWestern style sit toilet
Locations???
Average cost???
Often equipped with???
Percent accessible???
Date first modern public toilets???
.

Public toilets in Libya date back to the Roman Empire. The modern system though is fragile, and there are no public toilets in Tripoli.

Public toilets[edit]

There are no public toilets in Tripoli.[1] Refugees in detention centers in Tripoli lacked access to public toilets, which results in the spread of disease.[2] Around 85% of adults in Tripoli wash their hands after using a public toilet.[3]

History[edit]

Around 42% of high schoolers believed in 2005 that HIV was transmitted in public toilets.[4][5]

The conflict between Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and the NATO backed Transitional Government in 2011 resulted in damage to Libya's already fragile water and sanitation systems.[6]

As a result of a civil war in Chad, many people fled and became refugees in Libya in the early 1980s.   Local authorities built public toilets in Libyan refugee camps, but many Chadian refused to use communal toilets, preferring open defecation instead.[7]

Roman toilets[edit]

Starting in the second century AD, the Roman Empire started building public latrines in Italy and North Africa.  This improvement was generally widely approved of, and locals integrated using these facilities into their daily lives.[8][9] Surplus water was often used by Roman aqueducts for flushing sewer systems and public toilets.[10] Many of the toilet seats used by the Romans had round openings.[11][9] Women used public latrines by crouching over them, which encouraged some women to wear skirts and sarongs without wearing underwear.[12] One of the major differences between the ancient Greeks and ancient Romans was that the Romans supported public baths so that all classes of the population could maintain a certain level of cleanliness.  The ancient Romans also prioritized providing clean water for use in public baths and fountains.[13]

Regional and global situation impacting public toilets in Libya[edit]

Main article: Public toilet

In developing countries, unisex public toilets have been a disaster because they make women feel unsafe and fail to consider local religious beliefs.[14] Across Africa, open defecation had social consequences.  These included loss of dignity and privacy.  It also put women at risk of sexual violence.[15]

An issue in developing countries is toilet access in schools.  Only 46% of schools in developing countries have them.[16] Many schools around the world in 2018 did not have toilets, with the problem particularly acute in parts of Africa and Asia.  Only one in five primary schools on earth had a toilet and only one in eight secondary schools had public toilets.[17] In developing countries, girls are less likely to attend school once they hit puberty if their school does not have adequate hygiene facilities.[18][19]

There are generally two toilet styles in public bathrooms in Africa.  One is a traditional squat toilet. The other is a western style toilet with bowl and a place to sit.[20][21] Sit flush toilets are the most common type of toilet in North Africa.[22] Islamic teachings suggest using water for cleaning after using the toilet.[23] A popular item for Arab travelers to take with them on trips is a handheld portable bidet.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Tripoli". Britannica Kids. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  2. ^ Bajec, Alessandra (2021-12-05). "Protesting Against Cruel Treatment in Libya, Refugees Call Out UNHCR". Inside Arabia. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  3. ^ Alsagher, Mohamed R.; Soudah, Sally A.; Khsheba, Asma E.; Fadel, Sara M.; Dadiesh, Masara A.; Houme, Maram A.; Eshagroni, Aya S.; Alosta, Fadia F.; Almsalaty, Soad M. (2018-11-30). "Hand Washing Before and After Applying Different Hand Hygiene Techniques in Places of Public Concern in Tripoli-Libya". The Open Microbiology Journal. 12 (1). doi:10.2174/1874285801812010364.
  4. ^ UNGASS COUNTRY PROGRESS REPORT Libya (PDF). National AIDS program. March 31, 2012.
  5. ^ Letamo, Gobopamang (2011-10-26). Social and Psychological Aspects of HIV/AIDS and their Ramifications. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 978-953-307-640-9.
  6. ^ Njoh, Ambe J. (2016-02-11). Urban Planning and Public Health in Africa: Historical, Theoretical and Practical Dimensions of a Continent's Water and Sanitation Problematic. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-00364-9.
  7. ^ Affairs, United States Department of State Bureau of African (1981). AF Press Clips.
  8. ^ Molotch, Harvey; Noren, Laura (2010-11-17). Toilet: Public Restrooms and the Politics of Sharing. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-9589-7.
  9. ^ a b Jovinelly, Joann; Netelkos, Jason (2001-12-15). The Crafts and Culture of the Romans. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8239-3513-0.
  10. ^ Musto, Marilena; Rotondo, Giuseppe (May 2014). "Numerical comparison of performance between traditional and alternative jet fans in tiled tunnel in emergency ventilation". Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology. 42: 52–58. doi:10.1016/j.tust.2014.02.003. ISSN 0886-7798.
  11. ^ Woods, Michael; Woods, Mary B. (2011-01-01). Ancient Construction Technology: From Pyramids to Fortresses. Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN 978-0-7613-6527-3.
  12. ^ Molotch, Harvey; Noren, Laura (2010-11-17). Toilet: Public Restrooms and the Politics of Sharing. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-9589-7.
  13. ^ Shalowitz, Joel I. (2019-07-03). The U.S. Healthcare System: Origins, Organization and Opportunities. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-41539-9.
  14. ^ Coles, Anne; Gray, Leslie; Momsen, Janet (2015-02-20). The Routledge Handbook of Gender and Development. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-09478-3.
  15. ^ Reuters (2016-11-18). "Pakistan among 10 worst countries for access to toilets". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2022-10-11. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  16. ^ Fleischner, Nicki (21 November 2015). "Toilets by the numbers". Global Citizen. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
  17. ^ Associated Press (19 November 2018). "World Toilet Day Highlights Global Sanitation Crisis". VOA. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  18. ^ Drewko, Aleksandra (September 2007). Resource-Oriented Public Toilets in Oriented Public Toilets in Developing Countries: Ideas, Design, Operation and Maintenance for Arba Minch, Ethiopia. Hamburg: Hamburg University of Technology.
  19. ^ Human development report 2006 : beyond scarcity : power, poverty and the global water crisis. United Nations Development Programme. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. 2006. ISBN 0-230-50058-7. OCLC 82368388.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. ^ Planet, Lonely; Ham, Anthony; Atkinson, Brett; Bainbridge, James; Butler, Stuart; Carillet, Jean-Bernard; Clammer, Paul; Corne, Lucy; Filou, Emilie (2017-11-01). Lonely Planet Africa. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-78701-147-2.
  21. ^ Planet, Lonely; Ham, Anthony; Bainbridge, James; Corne, Lucy; Fitzpatrick, Mary; Holden, Trent; Sainsbury, Brendan (2017-09-01). Lonely Planet Southern Africa. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-78701-240-0.
  22. ^ admin (2015-05-18). "Toilets Around the World". Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, Inc. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  23. ^ a b Ro, Christine (7 October 2019). "The peculiar bathroom habits of Westerners". BBC. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
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