難民キャンプの女性を暴力から守るために作られた「革新的なトイレ」とは？

The Huffington Post | 執筆者： Eleanor Goldberg

投稿日: 2015年03月12日 15時22分 JST 更新: 2015年03月12日 15時24分 JST

An elderly Syrian Kurdish refugee woman from the Kobani area, warms up by a fire at a camp in Suruc, on the Turkey-Syria border Monday, Nov. 10, 2014. Kobani, also known as Ayn Arab, and its surrounding areas, has been under assault by extremists of the Islamic State group since mid-September and is being defended by Kurdish fighters. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) | ASSOCIATED PRESS

革新的なトイレが登場した。尿を電力に変えることができるトイレだ。

西イングランド大学の研究者たちがこのトイレを考案した理由、それは難民キャンプの女性たちを守るためだ。難民キャンプでは夜間にトイレに行った女性が暴行される事件がたびたび発生しており、そのような女性たちを守るために、用を足すとライトが点灯するトイレを作ったのだ。

難民キャンプに住む女性たちにとって、夜間のトイレは大きな問題だ。例えば、ヨルダンにあるザータリ難民キャンプは12万人のシリア難民の生活拠点となっているが、ここに住む女性たちは、午後10時以降はトイレに行かない。夜に共同トイレに行くと襲われる危険が高いためだ、と「アムネスティ・インターナショナル」アメリカ支部は報告している。しかしトイレに行くことを我慢することで、子供・大人ともに、女性たちは他の病気に比べて尿管の感染症にかかることが多いという。

貧困問題に取り組む国際協力団体オックスファムで水・公衆衛生部門の責任者を務めるアンディ・バスタブル氏も、「難民キャンプの女性たちは暴力と性的な暴行を受けています。トイレの周囲を明るくすることで、女性たちにより安全な環境を作れるでしょう」と述べる。

そこで、西イングランド大学はオックスファムとビル&メリンダ・ゲイツ財団の支援を受けてこの新しいトイレを開発。3月5日（現地時間）に学内で試作品を公開して、プログラムを稼働させるべく学生や大学スタッフに試作品で用を足すよう呼びかけているという。

このトイレで照明に電源を供給しているのはバイオ燃料電池だ。バイオ燃料電池は生きた微生物に頼っているが、この微生物は尿から栄養を摂ることで成長できる、とオックスファムは説明している。

ちなみに1台のトイレを作るのにかかる費用は、600ポンド（約11万円）になると見られる。

研究チームでは、尿から発電する技術をさらに発展させ、最終的には、難民キャンプのほかの区域や被災地といった場所の照明にも使えるようにしたい考えだ。

「これはとても環境に優しい技術です。化石燃料を利用する必要がありませんし、豊富にある排泄物を効率的に利用できますから」と、研究チームのリーダーを務めるイオアニス・イエロプロス氏は述べている。

またこの研究チームは、尿を使って携帯電話を充電する技術の開発にも携わっている。

この記事はハフポストUS版に掲載されたものを翻訳しました。

[日本語版：佐藤卓/ガリレオ]

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トイレの横に立つ世界各地の女性たち

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To raise awareness for World Toilet Day 2014, My Toilet showcased photos taken by Panos Pictures of women and girls around the world posing with their toilets. Across the globe, 2.5 billion people don’t have access to basic sanitation, a human rights issue that disproportionately affects women and girls.
To raise awareness for World Toilet Day 2014, My Toilet showcased photos taken by Panos Pictures of women and girls around the world posing with their toilets. Across the globe, 2.5 billion people don’t have access to basic sanitation, a human rights issue that disproportionately affects women and girls.
To raise awareness for World Toilet Day 2014, My Toilet showcased photos taken by Panos Pictures of women and girls around the world posing with their toilets. Across the globe, 2.5 billion people don’t have access to basic sanitation, a human rights issue that disproportionately affects women and girls.
To raise awareness for World Toilet Day 2014, My Toilet showcased photos taken by Panos Pictures of women and girls around the world posing with their toilets. Across the globe, 2.5 billion people don’t have access to basic sanitation, a human rights issue that disproportionately affects women and girls.
To raise awareness for World Toilet Day 2014, My Toilet showcased photos taken by Panos Pictures of women and girls around the world posing with their toilets. Across the globe, 2.5 billion people don’t have access to basic sanitation, a human rights issue that disproportionately affects women and girls.
To raise awareness for World Toilet Day 2014, My Toilet showcased photos taken by Panos Pictures of women and girls around the world posing with their toilets. Across the globe, 2.5 billion people don’t have access to basic sanitation, a human rights issue that disproportionately affects women and girls.
To raise awareness for World Toilet Day 2014, My Toilet showcased photos taken by Panos Pictures of women and girls around the world posing with their toilets. Across the globe, 2.5 billion people don’t have access to basic sanitation, a human rights issue that disproportionately affects women and girls.
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To raise awareness for World Toilet Day 2014, My Toilet showcased photos taken by Panos Pictures of women and girls around the world posing with their toilets. Across the globe, 2.5 billion people don’t have access to basic sanitation, a human rights issue that disproportionately affects women and girls.
To raise awareness for World Toilet Day 2014, My Toilet showcased photos taken by Panos Pictures of women and girls around the world posing with their toilets. Across the globe, 2.5 billion people don’t have access to basic sanitation, a human rights issue that disproportionately affects women and girls.
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