Fear of rape and sexual violence is keeping poor Kenyan women away from communal toilets, and increasing the risk of disease

In an Amnesty International report on Kenya's slums, the human rights group said women and girls were afraid to leave their shacks at night. As a result they were risking contracting diseases such as dysentery and cholera. About 60% of Nairobi residents, about two million people, live in slums with limited access to water and sanitation. Amnesty criticized a lack of policing in the shantytowns and the government's failure to enforce planning laws and regulations. It called on the Kenyan government to address violence against women and to ensure women's access to sanitation and public security services.