A Matter of Dignity and Equality, Here and Around the World
Access to clean, safe, and accessible toilets should be something everyone can take for granted. Yet, for billions of people, meeting this essential need remains a challenge. On November 19, 2026, World Toilet Day highlights the theme “Safe Toilets: For an Equitable Future.” It reminds us that access to sanitation is also a matter of human rights and gender equality.
Source: UN-WTD2026
Safe Toilets Help Promote Gender Equality
Established in 2001 by the World Toilet Organization, this day has been officially recognized by the United Nations since 2013. It helps raise awareness and mobilize action in support of Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to ensure universal access to water and sanitation by 2030.
Source: UN-WTD2026
According to UN data, 3.4 billion people worldwide still lack safely managed sanitation services.
Women and girls are particularly affected. The lack of suitable toilets, privacy, and menstrual hygiene facilities can compromise their health, safety, education, and participation in professional and social life.
The 2026 campaign emphasizes another essential aspect: women and girls must have a voice in decisions about sanitation facilities to ensure that these facilities truly meet their needs.
Explore the messages and resources of the 2026 global campaign.
Access to Public Toilets Remains a Challenge in Quebec
While most Quebecers have access to sanitation facilities at home, the situation is different in public spaces.
The lack of free, accessible, and well-maintained public toilets can limit the mobility and activities of many people, including pregnant women, older adults, families with young children, people with disabilities, and those living with certain medical conditions.
For people experiencing homelessness, this challenge can be a daily reality.
Organizations such as Eau Secours, REsPIRE, and the Corporation de développement communautaire Plateau-Mont-Royal work to raise awareness among the public and municipalities about these issues.
Their efforts highlight the importance of public toilets that provide not only cleanliness and safety but also privacy, accessibility, and the facilities needed to meet different hygiene needs.
Raising Awareness to Encourage Change
World Toilet Day invites us to recognize sanitation facilities as essential services that support human dignity and everyone’s ability to participate fully in community life.
Source: Eau Secours
In Quebec, this reflection is particularly relevant to municipalities, which are responsible for many public spaces, as well as organizations and citizens working to create more inclusive communities.
To learn more, explore the insights shared by researcher Nathalie Boucher and the awareness-raising cartoons featured by Eau Secours (in French only).
Because access to safe and accessible toilets is not a privilege: it is a fundamental need that deserves to be recognized everywhere.