With the number of schools featuring unisex toilets, which are shared by boys and girls, on the rise, plenty of schoolgirls reported feeling uncomfortable and scared for their own safety.
According to the girls who spoke out, they are “too afraid to use the loo over fears of period shaming, sexual harassment and a lack of privacy.”
More and more schools have begun introducing unisex lavatories in order to provide full inclusion of all pupils, including the transgender ones, and avoid bullying breeding grounds.
While unisex toilets have some benefits, many girls are now avoiding them because of being subjected to cruel taunts and harassment from boys, especially older ones.
Recently, a mother of a schoolgirl spoke to Daily Express and claimed that “boys are always speculating on whether girls are having their periods according to how long they take in the toilet.”
She also added that her daughter doesn’t want to drink water to avoid being forced to pee in the unisex lavatory at their school.
A British group of feminists called Women’s Voices Wales also spoke out and said that “safety and dignity” of female students has been compromised with the implementation of unisex toilets.
“No child should avoid school, or stop drinking water so they don’t wee. Girls cannot ‘hold periods in,’” spokesperson Helen Raynor said.
The spokesman for Welsh Government also confirmed that current policies will be reviewed in order to determined “whether further guidance” is needed or not.
In the UK, one of the first schools implementing unisex toilets made the bold move back in 2000. The headteacher of the Manchester school in question defended the action and claimed that it reduced vandalism and stopped bullying and smoking in the school.
Following their alleged success story, hundreds of school adopted the same practice. This, however, sparked a controversial and heated debate between the children, their parents, and the schools’ staff.
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