Impact of inadequate sanitation on adolescent girls in urban slums (Zambia)

Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, grapples with rapid urbanization leading to an increase of urban slums which are often characterised by overcrowding and lack of essential services, including clean water safe sanitation. The main aim of this study was to analyse the impact of inadequate sanitation on adolescent girls in Chipata compound and at Highland Secondary School. Highland Secondary School, with a student body of 3,319, only has 16 sanitation facilities, evenly divided between genders, and is further strained by the scarcity of functional flush toilets, leaving students with just 8 pit latrines. In Chipata compound, the prominent sanitation technology is private pit latrines, frequently shared among residents, poorly constructed and often lacking roofs and privacy. This study argues that just as the sanitation needs are gendered, the impacts are just as gendered. Inadequate sanitation takes a toll on girls’ psychosocial well-being, with school going girls reporting feelings of shame and embarrassment due to menstruation challenges that lead to uniform stains and teasing from male students. Adolescent girls in Chipata compound are apprehensive about using toilets at night, resorting to alternatives like bucket toilets or seeking older companions, leading to discomfort and frustration.