Open defecation in white suburbia: WaterAid’s World Toilet Day video

A viral video showing a “woman risking her dignity and safety trying to find somewhere to go to the toilet in her neighbourhood” is at the centre of WaterAid’s 2012 World Toilet Day campaign.

1 in 3 women worldwide risk shame, disease, harassment and even attack because they have nowhere safe to go to the toilet. Sanitation would make 1.25 billion women’s lives safer and healthier

WaterAid ran their social media campaign called “#1in3women need your support”, asking governments to take action, on Thunderclap.

For more information go to the WaterAid website

The Public Toilet – interactive sculpture launch on World Toilet Day

This Saturday a four and a half metre tall squatting man will appear beside London’s Tower Bridge. The artists’ collective greyworld has created this huge interactive sculpture called The Public Toilet for World Toilet Day.

With a screen on the face of the statue, the public can show their support for World Toilet Day by uploading a short five second video (or photo) of their face via www.thepublictoilet.com. The videos are then streamed onto the statue’s face and shown on the website.

Unilever’s hygiene brand Domestos and the World Toilet Organization (WTO) commissioned The Public Toilet, to symbolise the plight of 2.5 billion people who don’t have access to improved sanitation, of whom 1.1 billion are forced to practise open defecation.

#IGiveAShit, do you? – World Toilet Day 19 November

Last year, the World Toilet Day campaign reached 1 billion people, says World Toilet Organization (WTO) founder Jack Sim aka “Mr. Toilet”.  For this year’s campaign, WTO is partnering with the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC). The theme is “I give a shit, do you?”

World Toilet Day is an international day of action, initiated by WTO in 2001, to break the taboo around toilets and draw attention to the global sanitation challenge.

“Poo-free” films win Golden Poo Awards 2012

You will not see any real poo in the two short films that won the 2012 Golden Poo Awards today. A relief for those who find the sight of the real thing offensive, but unlikely a prime concern of the 2.6 billion who have no relief from open defecation.

The “Number One” Golden Poo Award went to Andrew Oxley for Men, Loos and Number Twos.

Paul Rey-burns won the “Number Two” award for his film Pushing4Change.

The winning films will form part of the Global Handwashing Day (October 15th) and World Toilet Day (November 19th) awareness-raising campaigns. The films will be also screened amongst the programme of films at The London Short Film Festival (4-13 January 2013) .