pink centres - SAFE CENTRES

Recent research by Desmania has identified Delhi’s public toilet facilities having significant gaps in sanitary standards, causing major threat to the safety and protection of women.

In Delhi, 55% of public restrooms were either found unhygienic or useless; 45% of respondents found the absence of cleanliness hindering their mobility; 60% felt unsafe due to lack of women-only facilities, and 90% avoided using public toilets due to safety and hygiene concerns.

Through such assessment, the need for replication of a robust safe sanitation model like Pink Centre, is at an all-time high, for making access to clean sanitation equitable to women and children in difficult terrains. Pink Centres are free-to-use, women-exclusive sanitation facilities established by PVR NEST in association with Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and National Commission for Protection of Children Rights (NCPCR). The first Pink Centre was established in 2018.

These centres are operated for women, by women with an objective to make the access to safe sanitation equitable to women and children and building resilience against any threat to their health and safety. These facilities are known as "beyond-toilet facilities" for being equipped with a wide range of services and amenities for women and children including Menstrual Health Product dispensers, bathrooms, resting space, reading corner and much more.

In the six years since the program began, it has become a symbol of Women's Safety and Pride across Delhi/NCR. It gained the most recognition as the network of sanitation centers which operated across the appalling phases of COVID-19 while most mainstream facilities were at a halt. It was the testament to the determination and resilience of our workers during this period that led to its highest footfall at the time of 3.5 Lakh, with the growth being consistent ever since.

Last year, Pink Centre saw a visitation of 8.5 Lakhs of women and children, which is 144% rise from last year.

The program also focused on the growth and development of the workforce through monthly capacity-building workshops aiming at upskilling our women to get a broader spectrum of opportunities in the future.

Running this program helped PVR NEST to acquire an in-depth understanding of the location-centric sanitary and protection setbacks and the tools needed by the community to repel them.

Through the support of MCD, we have repurposed 20 government-owned infrastructures into Pink Centres.