User:JustinePorto/Public toilets in Djibouti

Public toilets in Djibouti are not that common, and found mostly in restaurants in bigger cities and in airports, and toilet paper is often not provided. Open defecation is common, particularly among men.

Public toilets
A French speaking country, the local words for toilets include toilettes and WC, while the local word for toilet paper is Papier toilette, the word for men's toilet is hommes and the word for women's toilet is femmes.

Public toilets can be found in restaurants in bigger cities. They can also be found at airports. Toilet paper is provided at the airport but not at restaurants.

Open defecation is common, particularly among men. Many private residences in rural areas lack their own toilets and instead have a community toilet used by several residences.

Regional and global situation impacting public toilets in Djibouti
There are a lack of public toilets in East Africa.

Public toilets, depending on their design, can be tools of social exclusion. The lack of single-sex women's toilets in developing countries makes it harder for women to participate in public life, in education and in the workplace. In developing countries, unisex public toilets have been a disaster because they make women feel unsafe and fail to consider local religious beliefs. Across Africa, open defecation had social consequences. These included loss of dignity and privacy. It also put women at risk of sexual violence.

An issue in developing countries is toilet access in schools. Only 46% of schools in developing countries have them. Many schools around the world in 2018 did not have toilets, with the problem particularly acute in parts of Africa and Asia. Only one in five primary schools on earth had a toilet and only one in eight secondary schools had public toilets. In developing countries, girls are less likely to attend school once they hit puberty if their school does not have adequate hygiene facilities. 344 million children in sub-Saharan Africa did not have a toilet in their home in 2018. The lack of toilet access put these children at risk of water borne diseases.

There are generally two toilet styles in public bathrooms in Africa. One is a traditional squat toilet. The other is a western style toilet with bowl and a place to sit. Flush toilets are often only found in affluent areas of developing countries. Only a few places tend to have flush toilets with toilet seats. These include high end hotels and restaurants. Mid-range hotels and restaurants may have a toilet but no seat or may have a squat toilet. Islamic teachings suggest using water for cleaning after using the toilet. A popular item for Arab travelers to take with them on trips is a handheld portable bidet.