“We have a good neighbor policy”: How street vendors access (or not) water and toilets

Abstract

This article explores the essential yet often overlooked challenges faced by street vendors in accessing water and toilet facilities in public spaces. This study investigates the three dimensions of barriers (informational, physical, and services) to accessing these services and their potential effects on health and work and the relationship between formal-informal commerce related to the services barrier. Through a focused ethnography held between 2021 and 2023, interviews and participant observation with 24 street vendors were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The findings reveal complex informal-formal networks and community relationships that enable vendors to find a way to access water and sanitation services, being the exchange of favors the main pillar of this relationship. However, not all workers establish a relationship, potentializing the violation of the right to water and sanitation at work. One type of barrier (informational) was not identified for both water and toilet access in this study. The physical barrier was not identified for water access, since a barrier would presuppose the existence of facilities. The services barrier was identified for both water and toilets. Headaches, tiredness, and urinal infections were reported as symptoms of inadequate access to water and toilets in this type of workplace. Also, workers with disability and women are more affected as they have specific needs to be addressed.