scholarly journals Slum Sanitation and the Social Determinants of Women’s Health in Nairobi, Kenya

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Corburn ◽  
Chantal Hildebrand

Inadequate urban sanitation disproportionately impacts the social determinants of women’s health in informal settlements or slums. The impacts on women’s health include infectious and chronic illnesses, violence, food contamination and malnutrition, economic and educational attainment, and indignity. We used household survey data to report on self-rated health and sociodemographic, housing, and infrastructure conditions in the Mathare informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. We combined quantitative survey and mapping data with qualitative focus group information to better understand the relationships between environmental sanitation and the social determinants of women and girls’ health in the Mathare slum. We find that an average of eighty-five households in Mathare share one toilet, only 15% of households have access to a private toilet, and the average distance to a public toilet is over 52 meters. Eighty-three percent of households without a private toilet report poor health. Mathare women report violence (68%), respiratory illness/cough (46%), diabetes (33%), and diarrhea (30%) as the most frequent physical burdens. Inadequate, unsafe, and unhygienic sanitation results in multiple and overlapping health, economic, and social impacts that disproportionately impact women and girls living in urban informal settlements.

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victory U. Salami ◽  
Stanley I. R. Okoduwa ◽  
Aimee O. Chris ◽  
Susannah I. Ayilara ◽  
Ugochi J. Okoduwa

The global battle to survive the onslaughts of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) started in December 2019 and continues today. Women and girls have borne the brunt of the hardship resulting from the health crises. This paper examined the effects of COVID-19 on women. Socioeconomic factors resulting from the pandemic, especially in relation to women's health, were discussed after studying published articles. They include gender specificity and COVID-19, the economic toll of COVID-19 on women, pregnancy and COVID-19, gender-based violence due to COVID-19, and health-care impacts of COVID-19. Making up the majority in the healthcare workforce, women were at higher risk of infection with COVID-19 due to their exposure as caregivers to infected patients. The pandemic took its toll on them as part of the greater population in the informal sector of the economy due to the lockdown directive, as many experienced severe monetary shortages and job losses. Pregnant women infected with COVID-19 were prone to severe diseases, maternal complications, and death due to their weakened immunity and exposure during clinical procedures. Gender-based violence was observed to have increased across the globe for women. The results of this review strongly indicate that women are disproportionately affected by the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis. This review will help health-care professionals and policymakers arrive at properly-thought-through decisions to better manage health crises. Governments and all key players should address the challenge by devising effective policies with a gendered view.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Annalise John ◽  
Elizabeth Gamarra ◽  
Melissa Bird ◽  
Rachel L. Wright ◽  
Caren J. Frost

The health of women is a crucial component to family and community wellbeing. However, social work scholars have not been very engaged in research pertaining to the health needs of women. With the Grand Challenges of Social Work becoming a major element for national discussion and with the revision of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) in 2015, we wondered how connected the 12 Grand Challenges and the 17 SDGs were. We searched the social work literature from 2005 to present to identify what salient publications were available about women’s health and then connected them to the current themes of the Grand Challenges and SDGs. There are no more articles to review in the social work literature. Using a feminist social work framework, we summarize the topics covered in these articles and define a call to action for more scholarly work on women’s health in the context of current national and global conversations about this social justice issue.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 40-50
Author(s):  
Robina Manandhar

Regularization of informal settlements involves the process of legalization of tenure and upgrading of public services and infrastructures through land development. However, some settlement manages to get the services from formal authorities but lags legal tenure security. Legalization of tenure security is important so as to reduce their threat of eviction from formal authorities and improvement of their living standard. Various land development tools involves upgrading of public services and development of infrastructures but legalization of tenure security is left behind. Land development and legalization of tenure security both are the important components for regularization of informal settlements and recognize as formal settlements. Land readjustment is the tool or technique commonly used for the land development in Nepal. Thus this paper aims to indentify the applicability of land readjustment in regularization of informal settlement. In Nepal, there are prominent numbers of informal settlements along the river banks and also in urban core areas. Chadani tole along the Bagmati River is taken as a case study and analysis of applicability of land readjustment under the social and legal condition for regularization is carried out. This research has adopted both desk research and case study methodology. Qualitative and quantitative data analysis is adopted in this study. The results of research reveal that public participation and long term occupancy are the social positive aspects for the application of LR in informal settlements. Lack of land registration, legal recognition and development regulations are the legal hurdles for the application of LR in informal settlements. Land registration of informal settlement has not been done in Nepal which is important aspect for application of LR. Thus land registration of Nepal should include the components of STDM for the pro poor land registration and recognition of social tenure to informal settlements. Applicability of LR is difficult due to the lack of sufficient area. So to address the issue and ascertain the rights of dwellers to live in the same area, high rise apartments can be adopted.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-72
Author(s):  
Thomas Asher ◽  
Steve Ouma Akoth

Abstract This essay foregrounds mobility in cities in the global South in order to recast our current understanding of how informal settlements function and how residents of these neighborhoods navigate increasingly feral economies. Focusing largely on an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, the piece explores the social worlds animated by mobility, bringing renewed attention to social and spatial practices. These include strategies of economic and social cooperation used by residents to spatially constitute communities, imbue them with meaning, and in the process create ladders to opportunity. The essay also demonstrates that when development agencies and advocates of the urban poor operate without a sociological understanding of the role of mobility, the results can be devastating.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-91
Author(s):  
Suryani ◽  
Atik Triratnawati

The impact of Covid-19 has not only affected the health sector but also economic and social sectors. In the social sector, the increase of domestic violence cases is being concern. It has a wide impact towards women’s health. This paper wants to reveal the impact of women’s health including reproductive health suffered by domestic violence victims and how they find solutions to the problems they face. Data collection was using ethnographic research methods from April to June 2021 in Malang regency. Observations and interviews were conducted towards 5 domestic violence victims and 2 associate staffs of domestic violence victims. Data analysis was carried out by classifying the data with the classification of minor, severe and reproductive health impacts.  As a result, researcher found that domestic violence victims suffer health impact both physically and psychologically. Physically, they are experiencing bruises, swelling, up to stitches on the part of their body. While psychologically, they feel common to deep fear, cannot sleep well, feel insecure to experience trauma. As the impact of reproductive health, the victim suffered miscarriage. The victims are needed assistance to be brave enough to speak up and seek protection quickly and accurately.


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