Street Vendors: Struggle for Toilet & Existence

Toilet day is around the corner with the theme of toilet and jobs where, at the same time a street vendor is struggling to pack her stuff to rush for her home because she has to pee.  As a human being with anatomical function to cleanse the body, an urgency to run for a toilet is a common thing however, this common process should not affect our daily life activities especially when it is about earning bread for own self. Lack of money for higher investment in business and pay rent for space is what makes a person street vendor. Furthermore, they travel from place to place so, in this scenario what happens when they feel the need to use toilet?

For a small street vendor it is also not possible to sneak into big malls or other buildings to relief themselves so, forcefully have to use public toilet for this but what happens to their stuff again? Another question is that are public toilets available at every nooks and corner or the number of mobile toilet is sufficient? If we are taking about toilet and jobs then it is also important to understand that every job is dignified one and no one should miss it just because they have to rush home to relief themselves.

“I have been selling panipuri in this cart wheel for last 17 years and I don’t have fix place to keep my stall because there is always traffic police or some irritated drivers shouting over me to move this stand, so I keep rolling this cart. It is also not possible for me to go others house because they will accuse me of stealing things which has happened already so, I look for a empty corner or walls to empty myself. I have childrens and old parents to feed for so, I cannot return empty hand without any money for dinner” said Mahinder. He is not a single street vendor and his problem is a mere fraction one. For women the issue might be different as she has to go through monthly bleeding. Whereas for the old people, it might be another. Even though many places of our country have been declared as ODF one still lack of enough public toilet at different places holds challenges for many people whose job keeps them moving from one place to another. Easy access to toilets is not only about the environment rather also associated with the health and economy so, toilet matters because it’s about dignity and jobs.