- Policy Papers
Executive Brief- Status of Public Toilets for Women and Queer People in Kolkata
This study examines the accessibility, safety, and conditions of public toilets in Kolkata, and how sanitation gaps impact women’s and queer persons’ dignity and workforce participation.
Between February and June 2025, Azad Foundation and the Sabar Institute undertook a timely study on the status of public toilets for women and queer persons in Kolkata. This study was born out of years of on-ground experience with women drivers and riders in the transport sector, who consistently highlighted the daily struggles they face because of inadequate restrooms, unhygienic toilets, and inaccessible facilities while navigating the city. As part of a Network – Nari Dibas Udyappan Manch (NDUM) which works with women in unorganized sectors, the Azad team in Kolkata often heard women and queer persons sharing through ‘listening circles’ the challenges faced by them with regard to accessing public toilets.
Our earlier research in Delhi’s DTC depots had already revealed how the absence of safe, clean rest spaces limits women’s ability to work with dignity. These insights made it clear that deeper, city-level studies and audits were urgently needed so that evidence could inform stronger engagement with government departments and spark the creation of truly gender-inclusive urban infrastructure.
With this purpose, Azad Foundation partnered with the Sabar Institute in Kolkata to conduct a comprehensive assessment of public toilet facilities. Supported by students from eight colleges—Gurudas College, Vivekananda College, Victoria Institution, Government Girls’ General Degree College, Bethune College, Sarojini Naidu College, Sister Nivedita College, Shri Shikshayatan College—and two universities—Presidency University and Rabindra Bharati University—the study explored how the availability, quality, and safety of public toilets shape the everyday realities of working women in the city.
The research sought to map the barriers women and queer persons encounter in accessing sanitation: poor cleanliness and hygiene, lack of safety, absence of maintenance, unaffordability, and infrastructural neglect. Importantly, the study also examined how these gaps directly affect women’s participation in the workforce—revealing how substandard sanitation quietly but powerfully pushes women out of public spaces and economic opportunities.
Using a robust mixed-methods design, the research combined large-scale quantitative data with rich qualitative insights. A total of 7,616 participants across most Kolkata Municipal Corporation wards contributed to the survey. Additionally, thirty-eight members of the queer community participated in in-depth interviews, and extensive visual documentation captured the actual condition of public toilet facilities across the city.
The executive brief shares the key findings and recommendations from the study, with the hope that they will inspire meaningful action on the ground. This study stands as one of the most extensive sanitation assessments of its kind in Kolkata. Its findings hold the potential to drive systemic change ensuring that women and gender-diverse communities are no longer forced to choose between safety, dignity, and economic participation simply because of inadequate public infrastructure.
From
Sabar Institute and Azad Foundation
Read the Executive Brief Here
