Children: a vital component for achieving total sanitation and associated benefits (Bangladesh case study)

While the impact of poor sanitation is often measured by the effects on children, most sanitation interventions target adults. Global monitoring of sanitation coverage against the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) generally also overlooks sanitation among young children. In Bangladesh, the faeces of only 22% of children under age three were disposed of safely in 2006, and children in more marginalized households were least likely to have their faeces safely disposed of. Even in households with improved sanitation, 22% of children’s faeces were reported to be left in the open. These inequities are emblematic of trends seen in developing countries worldwide. This paper provides a policy and programming-relevant overview of child sanitation in Bangladesh, a country with relatively more interventions focused on increasing demand, improving supply, and creating an enabling environment for the safe disposal of child faeces.