Report from the Radcliffe Exploratory Seminar on the 'Human Rights to Water and Sanitation: From Theory to Practice' held on December 7 & 8, 2012 at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharmila L. Murthy
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Harvard University ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Theory To Practice ◽  
Advanced Study

Water for Life

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline Baer
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
State Capacity ◽  
National Level ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
The Right

Chapter 5 provides a case study of the human rights-based approach to water policy through an analysis of the Bolivian government’s attempts to implement the human right to water and sanitation. It explores these efforts at the local and national level, through changes to investments, institutions, and policies. The analysis reveals that while Bolivia meets the minimum standard for the human right to water and sanitation in some urban areas, access to quality water is low in poor and marginalized communities. While the Bolivian government expresses a strong political will for a human rights approach and is increasing state capacity to fulfill rights, the broader criteria for the right to water and sanitation, including citizen participation and democratic decision-making, remain largely unfulfilled. This case suggests political will and state capacity might be necessary but are not sufficient to fulfill the human right to water and sanitation broadly defined.

scholarly journals Water and sanitation are not gender-neutral: human rights in rural Brazilian communities

Water Policy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-120
Author(s):  
Bárbarah Brenda Silva ◽  
Bárbara Sales ◽  
Ana Carolina Lanza ◽  
Léo Heller ◽  
Sonaly Rezende
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Physical Effort ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
The North ◽  
Labor Division ◽  
Access To Water

Abstract The Human Rights to Water and Sanitation (HRWS), adopted as UN Resolutions since 2010, contemplates key elements that seek to ensure equal and non-discriminatory access to water and sanitation, including the elimination of gender inequalities. Working in populations with socio-environmental vulnerabilities, this study aims to assess gender division of labor in households of two rural communities in the North and Northeast Brazilian macroregions and identify why greater impacts occur on the lives of women when compared to men, resulting in human rights concerns. A qualitative analysis was carried out through semi-structured interviews and direct observation. The study showed that in the two rural Brazilian communities there is a clear labor division for water and sanitation access from a gender perspective. Men undertake more specialized work, sometimes requiring greater physical effort. As for women, they are assigned functions related to the domestic environment, including activities concerning water and sanitation. When facilities are inadequate, there is a disproportionate impact on women's health and quality of life, showing that the non-compliance with the human rights to water and sanitation often results in more harmful consequences for them.

scholarly journals New Approaches to Monitor Inequalities in Access to Water and Sanitation: The SDGs in Latin America and the Caribbean

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 931 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitor Carvalho Queiroz ◽  
Rodrigo Coelho de Carvalho ◽  
Léo Heller
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Regional Heterogeneity ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Access To Water ◽  
Assessment And Monitoring ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Normative Content

In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Targets 6.1 and 6.2 show, in their formulation, some alignment with the normative content of the human rights to water and sanitation (HRWS). However, the principle of equality and non-discrimination, which applies to all human rights, was not clearly incorporated into the indicators adopted to assess and monitor these targets. This paper contributes to bridging this gap by proposing two methodological strategies to address inequalities in analyses of access to water and sanitation services. The first consists in adjusting the indicators of access to these services according to inequality. The second proposes an assessment of intersecting forms of inequality. An application of these methods in Latin America and the Caribbean highlights significant regional heterogeneity and elevated inequality in access to services in the countries of this region. The methods demonstrate their potential in contributing to assessment and monitoring of the SDGs, but outdated or lacking data are obstacles to more in-depth analyses.

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