René Rachou Research Institute, FIOCRUZ-Minas, Av. Augusto de Lima 1715, Barro Preto, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30190-002, Brazil.
BMC Public Health. 2019 Jan 31;19(1):137. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-6469-y.
This article addresses the enjoyment of the human rights to water and sanitation (HRTWS), in particular access to toilets, in a public school in Bahia, Brazil.
Participant observation of the school's routine, focus groups with students in grades 8 and 9 of primary school (13 to 17 years old) and individual, semi-structured, interviews with members of school staff were applied, exploring access to water and sanitation by adolescent girls and boys.
Students and school staff reported that the amount of toilets was insufficient and that their conditions were often inadequate because they were plugged or dirty. The impact on girls is greater as toilets do not offer a clean and healthy environment for menstrual hygiene management. Several elements of the normative content of the HRTWS, especially accessibility, acceptability, quality, safety and dignity, were largely not fulfilled. The study identified that, to comply with the HRTWS, it is necessary to go beyond infrastructure, as the lack of maintenance; cultural elements and student participation hinder the usage of sanitary facilities. Since schools can be privileged spaces to train critical and reflective citizens and to foster autonomy and emancipation, education oriented by human rights and citizenship is an opportunity for a more equitable society. By increasing access to social, economic and cultural rights in all phases and aspects of life, including when children and adolescents are in a school environment, people are able to enjoy better living conditions and a higher standard of health.
The study raised the importance of considering each community's sociocultural aspects in analyzing access to sanitary facilities in schools, which are spaces where citizens' rights should be exercised and fulfilled.
本文探讨了巴西巴伊亚州一所公立学校学生享有人权，特别是享有使用厕所的权利。
对学校的日常活动进行参与式观察，对小学 8 年级和 9 年级的学生进行焦点小组讨论（13-17 岁），并对学校工作人员进行个人、半结构化访谈，探讨青少年男女获得水和卫生设施的情况。
学生和学校工作人员报告称，厕所数量不足，且经常状况不佳，因为厕所堵塞或肮脏。对女孩的影响更大，因为厕所无法提供干净、健康的环境来进行月经卫生管理。人权和卫生设施的规范内容的几个要素，特别是可及性、可接受性、质量、安全性和尊严，在很大程度上没有得到满足。研究发现，要遵守人权和卫生设施，仅仅建设基础设施是不够的，因为缺乏维护、文化因素和学生参与会阻碍卫生设施的使用。由于学校可以成为培养批判性和反思性公民、促进自主性和解放的特权空间，因此以人权和公民权为导向的教育是建设更加公平社会的机会。通过在生活的各个阶段和方面增加对社会、经济和文化权利的获取，包括儿童和青少年在学校环境中，人们能够享有更好的生活条件和更高的健康水平。
该研究强调了在分析学校卫生设施的可及性时，考虑每个社区的社会文化方面的重要性，因为学校是公民权利应该得到行使和实现的场所。
