A/70/203 51. An alternative sewerage system (often referred to as simplified, condominial or small-bore sewerage systems, owing to the smaller size of the pipes), can imply more affordable construction costs, but generally transfers its management from the State to the community and requires more user maintenance, which can be problematic in the long term. Small-scale, community-managed service providers may also construct piped sewerage systems. They will often be limited to a small community, providing sewerage service connected to a simplified wa stewater treatment plant. While these can be very effective, without appropriate management and regulation there is a risk that the service is not constructed adequately, that the treatment plant is not properly maintained, is not affordable and does not p rovide a consistent and sustainable service. 2. Communal or shared facilities 52. This category includes public or communal toilet or latrine blocks and latrines privately shared between a few households. These may be managed by a utility, by small-scale or community providers or by the households concerned. Institutions such as schools, healthcare centres and detention centres generally use communal systems in the absence of a sewerage system, and may be either formally or informally provided. 53. Sanitation shared between a few households, where all residents know each other and maintenance and cleaning is shared, is a common form of access in many countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. 9 This form of access can contribute to the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation, where the construction and maintenance of the toilet or latrine is adequate, and where everyone within the households has access to the toilet or latrine, regardless of their age, physical ability or status within the household. There may be particular concerns for persons with disabilities, children, older persons, people with a chronic illness (which may be stigmatized, such as HIV), renters or those who do not belong to the main household. In some cultures, menstruating women are not allowed to use a latrine shared by other people, and this problem may be compounded when the latrine is shared by several households (see A/67/270, para. 73). 54. Public or communal latrines are less likely to be well -managed than privately shared latrines. They also tend to be located at a greater distance from the home, raising concerns in terms of quality, hygiene and accessibility. One particular drawback of a communal service is a lack of privacy and an increased risk of violence or assault for people leaving the house, particularly at night. Women and children are particularly at risk of violence in such conditions. Challenges also exist in terms of ensuring hygiene in these types of facilities, in assigning responsibilities for operation, maintenance and cleaning and hence to ensure their sustainability. 55. Communal or shared sanitation options, especially between many households , should never be seen as an adequate long-term solution. However, in some contexts, they are a short- to medium-term solution, necessary owing to limited urban planning and insufficient resources. Where communal or shared latrines are used, States should take measures to ensure privacy, safety and hygiene, affordability and sustainability. They should also ensure that there is a plan with set targets to upgrade this form of sanitation to options that comply fully with the right to __________________ 9 14/24 See Thilde Rheinländer et al., “Redefining shared sanitation”, Bulletin of World Health Organization, Vol. 93 (2015). 15-12500