Neighborhood: the “outside” space for girls in urban India

Singh, Shweta

doi:10.1111/j.1468-2397.2009.00639.x

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“… 19. Singh, Shweta (2010), “Neighborhood: the ‘outside’ space for girls in urban India”, International Journal of Social Welfare Vol 19, No 2, pages 206–14. …”

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confidence: 99%

“All we want are toilets inside our homes!”

Nallari

2015

Environment and Urbanization

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This paper describes how lack of access to adequate sanitation facilities affects the lives of adolescent girls in urban poor India. It draws specifically on the experiences of four adolescent girls, each living in one of four settlements in Bengaluru, India, and conversations with a larger group of girls. Findings reveal that where sanitation facilities are sorely lacking, adolescent girls face many deprivations (education, free time, privacy and independent mobility) and risks (sexual harassment and assault, health risks, etc.), and that this inadequacy can be a structural pathway for cyclical gender-based disempowerment and injustice.Keywords adolescents / gender / girls / India / informal settlements / sanitation / urban development / urban poor / water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) / youth I. InTroducTIonWhile urban sanitation is gaining ground, city governments are still faced with huge challenges when it comes to providing all their citizens with adequate sanitation facilities. The absence of services puts inhabitants at risk, and in particular women and children in urban poor families, who are most affected physically, psychologically, socially and economically. Many studies have highlighted the health and non-health impacts of sanitation on urban poor women, (1) but few have focused on the specific situation and needs of adolescent girls. This article describes the personal experiences of four girls, each living in one of four settlements in Bengaluru (earlier known as Bangalore) that are at various stages of the urban redevelopment trajectory. Their experience illustrates how lack of access to safe and wellmaintained sanitation facilities can contribute to many deprivations (education, free time, privacy, independent mobility) and risks (sexual harassment, assault and health risks), which can be a structural pathway for cyclical gender-based disempowerment and injustice. This paper draws from recent research conducted in the Indian cities of Mumbai and Bengaluru in collaboration with the Alliance, a partnership of three organizations (the National Slum Dwellers Federation, Mahila

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“… 19. Singh, Shweta (2010), “Neighborhood: the ‘outside’ space for girls in urban India”, International Journal of Social Welfare Vol 19, No 2, pages 206–14. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%