A/70/203 C. Hygiene 72. Hygiene practices include hand-washing, personal hygiene, domestic hygiene, hygienic use and management of toilets or latrines, the hygienic disposal of child faeces, menstrual hygiene and food hygiene. 73. Hand-washing is often seen as the key aspect of hygiene. It requires both adequate quantities of water at necessary places (in the kitchen and bathroom) and critical times (after using the toilet, before preparing food and before eating), as well as soap (or an alternative, such as ash). In many households, both of these resources may be in short supply, for accessibility or affordability reasons. A typical example of a hand-washing station is a tap connected to piped water, but there are also other solutions, such as the “tippy tap”, that are at least acceptable as an interim solution. As with all water use, it is essential that there be an adequate wastewater disposal system to prevent the local (and in some cases broader) environment from being flooded with excess water. 74. Many cultures use water for genital and anal cleansing, and again require sufficient quantities of water at the point of use. Water and cleaning materials are also required for keeping the toilet and surrounding area clean. Cleaning materials and disposal facilities are also necessary for managing child faeces hygienically. 75. Considerations of menstrual hygiene are particularly important for issues related to health, education and gender equality. 11 Facilities for menstrual hygiene management must include a system of disposal of sanitary materials and a place for washing reusable materials. Systems should be designed with the participation of users to make sure that they are relevant, appropriate and not liable to increase the stigmatization of girls and women during their periods. Cultural acceptability is essential to determine the type of technology used. 76. Generally, all of these services are provided through a household ’s own initiative, or through the initiative of the relevant institution. Where this is a State institution, whether a school, health centre or place of detention, there shoul d be independent oversight to ensure that these services are adequate. Places where women are detained must ensure that women have access to the necessary facilities and materials for menstrual hygiene management. IV. Progressive realization A. Achieving universal access 77. The human rights criteria of availability, safety, acceptability, accessibility and affordability provide a standard against which solutions for water, sanitation and hygiene can be assessed. They stipulate the standard to be achieved. By themselves, however, they cannot be used to assess whether States are meeting their human rights obligations. The solutions proposed by the State need to be assessed contextually, with particular consideration of the resources available. __________________ 11 18/24 Inga Winkler and Virginia Roaf, “Taking the bloody linen out of the closet: menstrual hygiene as a priority for achieving gender equality”, Cardozo Journal of Law and Gender, vol. 21, No. 1 (2015). 15-12500