Flushed and Forgotten: The Human Right to Sanitation in the United States

While Flint and Detroit have made national headlines, the Program supports the struggles that garner less national and international attention, such as the lack of sanitation and wastewater services. Across the country, many rural communities lack access to one of the most basic services: sanitation. Failing wastewater infrastructure leads to the perpetual presence of wastewater in and around homes and takes a significant toll on individuals' mental and physical health. The project partners with the Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise, EarthJustice, and other organizations and seeks to raise awareness through reports, briefings and other advocacy. The Program also collaborates with the Centre on Law and Social Transformation at the University of Bergen in a transnational project on “Elevating water rights to human rights: Has it strengthened marginalized peoples’ claim for water?”