Page 68 - HUDCO-SHELTER-OCT21

POLICY REVIEW
There should also be a
mechanism for a grievance
redressal system at a ground
level since it is difficult and
time-consuming for people
to approach the courts for
enforcing their right. The
author recommends the
appointment of a health and
sanitation ombudsman for
this purpose. An ombudsman
is an official who is charged
with representing the interests
of the public by investigating
and addressing complaints
of maladministration or a
violation of rights. It is a
statutorily appointed neutral
body to investigate complaints
against a government
functionary. In other words,
the ombudsman is supposed
to provide quick, neutral
and cost-effective justice to
an aggrieved complainant.
Various countries such as
Sweden, Finland, Denmark,
etc have sector-specific ensuring their functionality,
Ombudsman to bridge gaps
between the administration
and public to ensure good
governance.
Policies and plans must
be revised, along with
supporting financial sanitation solutions are made
instruments, institutionalised
implementation, tracking,
and assessment processes,
and long-term data collection
and indicator approaches
that are interoperable with
macro-level mechanisms. It is
important to increase data and
expertise ability at all levels to
enable stakeholders to make
66 HUDCO-HSMI Publication
well-informed decisions. from Article 21 i.e. right to life.
The priority actions must To ultimately attain the SDGs,
be proposed to make urban India must make tangible
planning systems gender- efforts. Cities’ physical and
responsive under the larger social infrastructure must be
umbrella of ‘inclusive cities’. built in such a manner that
they are fully inclusive and
Water and sanitation services egalitarian. The gender-based
bring a host of benefits for provision must be prioritised
community development. to realise everyone’s right
They get girls back into school, to sanitation. Only when
women into employment, gender-responsive sanitation
and improve health, dignity, strategies are developed to
wellbeing and independence ensure health, protection,
(WaterAid, 2012). The efficiency, and gender equality
sustainability of interventions can the right to sanitation be
requires continuous efforts truly recognised.
to ensure safe sanitation for
women. Legal and policy interventions
Leveraging technology for could go a long way in
data collection, monitoring, building equitable cities.
waste disposal, water- The norm of separate toilets
efficient toilet design etc. is an for women as protected in
important factor for achieving statutes such as the Building
the SDGs. Authorities need and Other Construction
to be sensitive in not only Workers (Regulation of
constructing toilets but Employment and Conditions
of Service) Act 1996, the
so that clean toilets are Contract Labour (Regulation
available, especially girls and Abolition) Act 1970, the
during their menstrual cycle. Swachh Bharat Mission 2014
The true realisation of the (SBM) etc contribute to the
realisation of several rights
right to sanitation is achieved of women. There are many
only when gender-responsive other state-level initiatives
to safeguard the privacy
to ensure health, safety, and dignity of women’s
productivity, and gender sanitation needs. These
equity. initiatives address concerns
CONCLUSION about privacy, integrity, lack
of knowledge, and sanitation
The right to sanitation and infrastructure to some degree.
hygiene is an essential However, there is still a long
component of the right to way to go in terms of meeting
health. The right to sanitation, women’s sanitation and
like all other rights, is extracted hygiene needs.