DRAG DEMANDS ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC TOILETS ON WORLD TOILET DAY.

Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG) has demanded public toilets to be made accessible for persons with disability within 3 months.
In a letter to the State Disability Commissioner and both District Collectors DRAG stated “19th November is World Toilet Day. We are shocked to note that even after 7 years of the Rights of Persons with Disability Act 2016 there is a very big shortage of accessible public toilets for persons with disability in the state of Goa thereby causing discrimination and great hardships to persons with disability and the elderly and violating their right to health. Section 40 to 45 of the Rights of Persons with Disability Act 2016 mandates that establishments in the government and private sector ie offices, hospitals and health centres, educational institutes, hotels and restaurants, petrol pumps, religious places, stadiums and recreational centres, market places, bus stands, railway stations etc should conform to the accessibility standards laid down by the Government. This includes the toilets in the establishment. Section 2(i) of the Rights of Persons with Disability Act 2016 brings the private sector under the ambit of the Act and makes the above section applicable to them also. We wish to bring to your notice that persons with disability and the elderly comprising of 8% of Goa’s population already have inherent health issues and lack of accessible public toilets complicates the issues and adds to their kidney damage. Women with disability also face many problems due to lack of accessible public toilets and are forced to stay at home during their monthly periods thereby affecting their education employment and entertainment. Hence we demand that you direct the concerned authorities to make atleast one public toilet in each establishment in government and private sector accessible for persons with disability as per laid down standards within 3 months of receipt of this letter failing which we will be forced to take legal action for the implementation of the same.
DRAG has also launched a ‘make public toilets accessible campaign’ to sensitize the general public on the issue.