September 2024 Sanitation Workers Research Awards 2024- Meet the awardees

Sanitation workers provide an indispensable public service, but they often do so at the expense of their own health and dignity, grappling with subpar working and living conditions, and job insecurity. Despite their pivotal role in delivering sanitation services, their fundamental rights to health, safety, and dignity frequently go underappreciated. A glaring gap exists in understanding their circumstances, challenges, and the mechanisms required to safeguard their rights. Research plays an indispensable role in shedding light on this issue, facilitating a more reflective comprehension, and paving the way for policies and initiatives that will enhance sanitation workers' working conditions and protect their rights.

To encourage research on this subject, The Water Institute at the University of North Carolina, and the Initiative for Sanitation Workers (a joint global advocacy initiative by the International Labour Organisation, WaterAid, the World Bank, the World Health Organisation, and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation) are supporting the Sanitation Workers Research Awards. These prestigious awards are designed to recognize studies that exemplify excellence, relevance, and impact, and they are unveiled each year at the UNC Water and Health Conference