Widner said outdoor defecation is a symptom of a larger problem: panhandling and lack of ordinance enforcement on the Kalamazoo Mall.

Why is open defecation such a serious problem? Open defecation is an affront to the dignity, health and well-being, especially of girls and women.

The United Nations has made it part of its eight Millennium Development Goals, to be achieved by this year, to reduce outdoor defecation significantly by increasing access to clean latrines.

UNICEF has urged Congolese to end open defecation, the agency’s representative in Congo, Micaela Marques de Sousa, said Thursday ...

UNITED NATIONS—Ending the practice of defecating in the open, rather than in a toilet, will have “transformational benefits” for some of the world’s most vulnerable people, said the UN’s ...

TORONTO — Canadian diplomats felt the need to justify spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a campaign aimed at reining in outdoor defecation in Ghana amid questions over the use of ...

A version of this article appears in print on Sept. 8, 2019, Page 21 of the Sunday Magazine with the headline: How to Build a Latrine. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe ...

The Indian government credits outdoor defecation with the spread of water-borne illnesses and parasites, including diarrhea and hookworms.

The humble toilet seems like the least likely setting for drama. Yet throughout history, it has claimed kings, toppled ...

Ending the practice of defecating in the open, rather than in a toilet, will have "transformational benefits" for some of the world's most vulnerable people, says the UN's partner ...