Adolescent girls and young women in urban slum areas feel unsafe while bathing in open spaces.
Infrastructural challenges cause the risk of sexual harassment and violence, a recent survey result has found.
Nearly 68.6 per cent of the surveyed girls faced violence at different times while using toilets in Dhaka, it also revealed.
Plan International shared the survey findings at a press briefing at a convention centre in the capital on Saturday.
S M Tariquzzaman, WASH Specialist of Plan International Bangladesh, shared the survey findings at the event.
According to him, Plan International Bangladesh started a model project titled ‘Empowering Girls for Economic Opportunity and Safe Space-Egloss’ in January this year.
Under this project, the organisation initiated to establish and reform 15 open bathing spaces in four slum areas in Dhaka: Dhalpur, Malek Member Colony, IG Gate Colony, and Match Colony.
Among these open bathing spaces, only 15 per cent have separate zones for girls where women commonly share the place for showering, as per the survey.
According to the survey, on average, per bathing space is shared by 35-45 people, the maximum user is 70 while the minimum is 20.
The respondents said during the focused group discussions that they do not feel safe in these bathing spaces. There are risks of taking photos from the surrounding high-raised buildings.
The survey also stated that some 58.7 per cent mentioned that they have to hurry, and it often gets dark while taking shower therefore nearly 38.2 per cent shared that they feel unsafe.
Some 79.2 per cent of respondents confirmed that they faced verbal violence while 13.4 per cent shared that they faced sexual harassment, according to the survey.
Manik Kumar Saha, Project Manager of Plan International Bangladesh, said, there are more than 5000 urban slums in Dhaka.
There are challenges including land efficiency and sewerage lines, he said, adding that due to a lack of safe bathing spaces, people of all ages and gender have to take showers in a common place altogether, which affects their privacy and causes violence.
Shiropa Kulsum of PSTC said the lack of safe bathing spaces impacts the lives of adolescent girls and young women.
Especially during menstruation, the challenge is unimaginable, she added.
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