The last time Camilla was here in Tøyenparken, she ended up in a taxi. – I had to flee home to my own toilet, says Camilla Kolden Grue. When nature calls, it’s like a ticking time bomb. Behind a closed door she can sit for a long time. – Then you don’t have the time or energy to hunt for a public toilet that doesn’t exist. Camilla does not have an overview of where the nearest dosing bowl is. We are standing in the middle of an abandoned Tøyenpark. No toilets in sight. Photo: Kaspara Stoltze / news Oslo is the capital of the Nordic region with the fewest public dos, according to a survey by Aftenposten. Now the toilet facilities in parks and beaches are also being cut because the municipality wants to save money. It has caused the Gastrointestinal Association to rage. The patient organization has now filed a complaint against the municipality for discrimination. Not allowed to join For Camilla, it is absolutely essential to have a short way to the bathroom. The job has already smoked because of the gut. – In the last two years, I have hardly walked further than from the bedroom to the toilet, she says. The disease that puts limits on life is called IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome. She shares that with around two out of ten in the country. Camilla thinks it’s embarrassing to use doe in restaurants and cafes. Ideally, she wants to avoid telling wild strangers about the illness, or buying food and drink she doesn’t need. – If there had been more public toilets, it would have been easier for people like me. Easier to be social, travel, go for walks. – Live a proper life, she says. Camilla is far from the only one who despairs. WORSE: Next summer it could be even more difficult for people like Camilla. Photo: Kaspara Stoltze / news Sounding the intestinal alarm The Stomach and Intestinal Association has been complaining about public toilet dryness for several years. – The cut in the summer doe was the final straw for us, says general secretary, Mads Johansson. LIMITATIONS: According to Mads Johansson, many struggle to participate in society, because they have to plan social activities based on where toilets are available. Photo: Ragnhild Elnæs/Kolonihaven.no The municipality has 100 billion to manage every year. With the do cut, they save 4.2 million. – The result is that most people with stomach and intestinal problems, but also many others, cannot be in the parks and on the beaches. – It is undignified and discriminatory, he says. Who is the Gastrointestinal Association? The Gastrointestinal Association represents people with various chronic gastrointestinal diseases. The association estimates that up to one million Norwegians live with digestive problems or diseases. For many in their patient group, access to toilets is absolutely essential for them to be able to participate in society. The association has raised the toilet issue several times through letters, dialogue and statements. They think they are not being heard. The organization believes that the municipality is in breach of its duty to universal design. Therefore, they have complained to the Discrimination Board. Getting a bad reputation But can a lack of toilets be considered discrimination? The Discrimination Board cannot comment on it until the complaint has been processed. Their state brother, the Equality and Discrimination Ombudsman, is familiar with the problem. – It is a shame and something that can give Oslo a bad reputation. But there are no laws about toilets, and then it is difficult to prove that the lack of them is discriminatory, says specialist director Eli Knøsen. Why is it so difficult to say whether it is discriminatory? The Discrimination Board and the Equality and Discrimination Ombudsman relate to Norway’s laws. To say that something is illegal, they need a legal basis. But there is no law that sets requirements for public toilets in parks and on beaches. There is only a requirement that there must be toilets in public buildings. Today, there is also no requirement as to how many public toilets the municipality must set up, but the municipality has a goal of universal design. If one relates to universal design, one can come to the conclusion that a lack of toilets is a breach of the duty to universal design. Source: Eli Knøsen, Equality and Discrimination Ombudsman. ILLEGAL: In Norway’s laws, there are few “toilet papers” to collect, points out Eli Knøsen of the Equality and Discrimination Ombudsman. Photo: Thomas Eckhoff She believes that a broader discussion is needed about what universal design should be. – If universal design should mean that everyone can use the city, then it is not universally designed without toilets, says Knøsen. A report from the Transport Economics Institute (TØI) showed that not only those with chronic diseases are affected. Pregnant women, allergy sufferers, the elderly and children also have an additional need for doe. – So there will be discrimination that affects many. Basically, we all need toilets, she says. Do you think there are enough public toilets where you live? Yes, we swim in toilets. That’s more than enough. Don’t know, I hardly ever use them. No, it’s a stupid offer. Should have public toilets everywhere in the city. No, but I only want more if they are washed more often. Show result Do to the people The city councilor who is responsible for the toilet coverage, Marit Vea, will not be interviewed. She writes the following in an e-mail to news: “I am working on finding solutions for temporary toilets in several places during the summer half-year. It is therefore too early to comment on anything beyond this.” Whether there will be toilets for the summer is thus uncertain. But the patient organization will not stop there. – We will continue to fight for more toilets throughout the country, says Mads Johansson. To achieve this, they want a national investment with earmarked kroner for public donations, and that there be a norm of a certain number per inhabitant. There is no record of how many public toilets there are in the country. In Tromsø, a couple finds that tourists use the garden as a toilet because there are no alternatives. Photo: Rebekka Ellingsen / news If you point your nose towards northern Norway, you can see the problem. In both Tromsø and Lofoten, local residents are bothered by tourists who use their gardens as outdoor activities. Others do it in bus shelters. – It is embarrassing. We know that people have to use buckets because there are no does, says Johansson. NATURDO: In just one day, 40 liters of human poo were cleaned in a popular hiking area in Lofoten. Photo: Andreas Nilsen Trygstad Camilla also hopes the politicians will take it seriously and install more toilets. After several years of severe pain, she is tired. – I have to spend almost all my time planning what I eat. Should I use the rest to find out where the does are? She sighs. – It’s a broken life.
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Stomach and intestine organization complains to the municipality because of toilets – Greater Oslo
