World Toilet Day Raises Awareness About Sanitation, Public Health Issues

World Toilet Day, being held today, Nov. 19, 2012, aims to highlight the plight of 2.5 billion people without access to a clean, private toilet. I give a s---, do you? is the theme of this global awareness campaign, spearheaded by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and the World Toilet Organization (WTO).

Observed annually, World Toilet Day aims to break the taboo around the toilets and draw attention to the existing global sanitation challenge.
Sanitation is a fundamental human right. World Toilet Day was created to raise global awareness of the daily struggle for proper dignified sanitation that a staggering 2.5 billion people continue to face.

Can you imagine not having a toilet?, asks Saskia Castelein, advocacy and communication officer at WSSCC. Can you imagine not having privacy when you need to relieve yourself? Although unthinkable for those living in wealthy parts of the world, this is a harsh reality for many -- in fact, one in three people on this globe, does not have access to a toilet! The World Toilet Day Campaign aims to raise awareness, inspire action and make sanitation and hygiene for all a reality in the 21st century.

The benefits of proper sanitation, good hygiene and clean drinking water on health and well being, educational attainment and economic growth are increasingly gaining recognition by the international development community. However, there is still a long way to go.

Designed as an online campaign, World Toilet Day wants to cast its net far and wide to get the attention of not just those working on these issues already, but also decision-makers and the public. For more information, visi: www.worldtoiletday.org