The Doon Mozaic, Swachh Bharat and Dilemma of Dehradun Swacch Bharat and Dilemma of Dehradun | Page 15

facilities. It is these women who benefit the most from Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
since the government is thriving to supply clean water to every rural area
throughout the country. As a part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Indian gov-
ernment is aiming to achieve an open defecation free India by the 150 th anniver-
sary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, i.e. October 2, 2019. Open- defecation has
always been a major problem in India where one in ten individuals practices
open-defecation. Not only does open defecation lead to numerous deadly dis-
eases like child diarrhea but is also a dangerous practice for women. Net of their
socioeconomic status, women who practice open defecation are twice as likely
to face non partner sexual violence as women with a household toilet. Qualita-
tive research has linked women’s lack of household sanitation and clean water
sources to a heightened fear of sexual violence. In the Indian state of Orissa, a
majority of women project fear unwanted sexual encounters such as being
watched, indecent exposure, and non-partner sexual violence. Adolescent girls
and young women especially those residing in slum regions are sexually victim-
ized while accessing sanitation sources. The government is aiming to achieve
the goal of ending the practice of open-defecation by constructing at least nine
crore toilets throughout the country by 2019. As of yet, about 3.47 crore toilets
have been constructed from urban to rural areas. Over 1.65 lakh villages have
already become open-defecation free. For the financial year 2017-18, Swachh
Bharat (Rural) received central allocation worth Rs. 13,948 crores, a fair in-
crease from the 10,000 crores allocated in the previous financial year. What is
even more worth noting is that women have been looked upon with a sight of
priority when it comes to construction of community toilets in rural areas.
Women have been playing central role in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan because
women are central to cle