⟵ The Crisis
⟵ HealthEnvironment ⟶
Women and Children
Women and children are an integral part of any society, and these two groups are the most negatively affected by the water crisis; women and children are usually tasked with collecting water. The lack of clean water puts children out of school and leaves women unable to work.
Work and School
In many communities, women are expected to find clean water for their family. This places them at a disadvantage. Women and girls carry an estimated 40 pounds of dirty water each day, spending about 200 million hours getting this water from sources that are sometimes over four miles away. Because they spend almost all of their lives gathering water for their family, women have less time to spend in pursuit of an education and work and are unable to spend more time taking care of their children, providing for their family, or enjoying leisure activities.
Girls are especially at a deadlock if their school lacks proper sanitation because they are unable to continue education with menstruation. Over 17 million girls and women are at a higher risk of sexual abuse because they must collect water when it is dark/
If their parents and relatives fall to water-borne diseases, orphans and are forced to work in order to provide for their younger siblings. HIV/AIDS has already caused children to live without parents, and older kids are hard pressed to fill the parental role themselves.
Droughts have made it harder for everyone, especially children. As the problems of climate change hang over everyone’s heads, it means that Africa, in particular, is experiencing harsher and harsher droughts, taking a severe toll on rural communities. These droughts put more pressure on children to find water, whether it be safe or not. Students end up missing class to care for family members who catch diseases from the unsafe water, and if teachers are sick, then there is no class.
Health
The health complications of gathering water for a living are vast. Carrying over 40 pounds of water everyday can cause musculoskeletal damage (injury to the tendons, ligaments, muscles, nerves, spinal discs, blood vessels, etc.), soft tissue damage, and a high risk for early arthritis.
Drinking unclean water has its own side effects; water-borne diseases, such as diarrheal disease, are the fourth most common cause of death in children 5 and under—over 300,000 children die annually because of it. Children are easily vulnerable to these diseases due to their age, and any disease is especially harmful to pregnant women, added onto the stress of carrying water each day.
In countries with high temperatures during the summer, the long distances for collecting water are even more grueling.
Dangers
Collecting water every day increases risks of sexual abuse and rape, especially for women and girls. Not only do women and children have to walk long distances and carry heavy loads, but they also must search for water when it is dark. According to a statement made by the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, “Children, particularly girls, are out in the street very late at night or as early as 4 a.m. in search of water.” At night, these children are more vulnerable, contributing to increases in teenage pregnancy, school drop-outs, and child labor.