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User:JustinePorto/Public toilets in Tunisia

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Public toilets in Tunisia
Building with five colorful doors
A deluxe toilet block is available next to the Chott El Djerid salt lake east of Tozeur, Tunisia.
Language of toilets
Local wordsToilette
Men's toiletsMen
Women's toiletsWomen
Public toilet statistics
Toilets per 100,000 people??? (2021)
Total toilets??
Public toilet use
TypePit latrine
Sitting style toilet
Locations???
Average cost???
Often equipped with???
Percent accessible???
Date first modern public toilets???
.

Public toilets in Tunisia are few, of the squat toilet type and do not provide toilet paper.

Public toilets[edit]

There are few public toilets.  Most are dirty, have flies and smell.  The most common type in more rural areas are squat toilets.  Almost none provide toilet paper. Buying toilet paper is relatively easy as it tends to be available in most major shops.[1]

Public toilets in Chott located on a dry salt lake were listed in a 2016 Lonely Planet guide, Toilets: A Spotter’s Guide , in the world because of their view.[2] [3][4]

Across the whole of the country, 82% of households were connected to sewage systems.[5]

History[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.[6] Surplus water was often used by Roman aqueducts for flushing sewer systems and public toilets.[7] 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.[8]

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

Around 2.5 billion people around the world in 2018 did not have access to adequate toilet facilities.  Around 4.5 billion people lacked access to proper sanitation.[9] An issue in developing countries is toilet access in schools.  Only 46% of schools in developing countries have them.[10] 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.[9] In developing countries, girls are less likely to attend school once they hit puberty if their school does not have adequate hygiene facilities.[11]

Islamic teachings suggest using water for cleaning after using the toilet.[12] A popular thing for Arab travelers to take with them on trips is a handheld portable bidet.[12]

In developing countries, unisex public toilets have been a disaster because they make women feel unsafe and fail to consider local religious beliefs.[13] Across Africa, open defecation had social consequences.  These included loss of dignity and privacy.  It also put women at risk of sexual violence.[14] Women used public latrines by crouching over them, which encouraged some women to wear skirts and sarongs without wearing underwear.[6]

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.[15][16] Sit flush toilets are the most common type of toilet in North Africa.[17] Flush toilets are often only found in affluent areas of developing countries.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Wayne, Scott (1991). Adventuring in North Africa: The Sierra Club Travel Guide to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and the Maltese Islands. Sierra Club Books. ISBN 978-0-87156-745-1.
  2. ^ BBC (15 April 2016). "A guide to the world's best toilets". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  3. ^ Thompson, Nigel (2016-04-15). "Loos with a view - public toilets in some of the world's most amazing locations". mirror. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  4. ^ "These Are The World's Most Incredible Toilets". sg.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  5. ^ P., Nikiema, Josiane Figoli, A. Weissenbacher, N. Langergraber, G. Marrot, B. Moulin, (2013). Wastewater treatment practices in Africa - experiences from seven countries. OCLC 925390633.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b Molotch, Harvey; Noren, Laura (2010-11-17). Toilet: Public Restrooms and the Politics of Sharing. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-9589-7.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Shalowitz, Joel I. (2019-07-03). The U.S. Healthcare System: Origins, Organization and Opportunities. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-41539-9.
  9. ^ a b Associated Press (19 November 2018). "World Toilet Day Highlights Global Sanitation Crisis". VOA. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  10. ^ Fleischner, Nicki (21 November 2015). "Toilets by the numbers". Global Citizen. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ a b Ro, Christine (7 October 2019). "The peculiar bathroom habits of Westerners". BBC. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
  13. ^ Coles, Anne; Gray, Leslie; Momsen, Janet (2015-02-20). The Routledge Handbook of Gender and Development. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-09478-3.
  14. ^ 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)
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ admin (2015-05-18). "Toilets Around the World". Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, Inc. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  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.