1. Introduction

Sanitation is a recognized international [1,2,3] and national [4] human right. It is defined as a process that includes access to sanitation facilities, collection, transport, treatment, and disposal or reuse of domestic wastewater (human excreta and greywater) and the associated hygiene [3,5].

The lack of ac^[1]cess to sanitation services and inadequate wastewater management have severe consequences for human health and well-being, water resources, and biodiversity [6,7,8]. It can be an obstacle to the economic growth of a country [9] and the realization of other human rights [3].

Sanitation is also included in the Sustainable Development Goal No. 6 (SDG6) of the 2030 Agenda [10], which establishes the purpose to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Specifically on sanitation, the states members of the international community have set themselves Goal 6.2 “Achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene services for all, and end open defecation, with special attention to people in vulnerable situations”; and Goal 6.3 “Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and, among others, halving the percentage of untreated wastewater [11].

These goals have contributed to redefining the goals and aligning public policies on sanitation in Mexico [9] and the world. Therefore, the SDG6 require a combination of monitoring methods and adequate governance.

Some approaches to determining its progress or improvement are based on sustainability aspects (environmental, social, and economic issues) [12,13]. However, other approaches can be used for the same purpose. Human rights-based approaches produce the essential conditions for sustainable development [14]. International human rights principles and standards are reflected in the SDG [15].

The human right to sanitation (HRS) contains functional elements to estimate its level of implementation and progress. According to the report A/HRC/12/24 of the United Nations Human Rights Council, these criteria—sometimes called descriptors, content, elements, or components—are availability, quality, physical accessibility, affordability, and acceptability [1]. In addition, other essential components to consider are: the principle of equality and non-discrimination, government management and inter-institutional coordination, access to information and public participation, and environmental protection [1,2,5,16].

Although the HRS is linked to the human right to water (HWR), its autonomy has been recognized, since it has specific characteristics that deserve particular attention [17,18,19]. However, the trend has been to include the HRS within the HRW and focus on this last one [19]. This situation scatters attention, and the development of actions addressed to the HRS.

2. Content of the Human Right to Sanitation

The content of the human rights obligations related to sanitation (availability, quality, physical accessibility, affordability, acceptability, equality and non-discrimination, government management and inter-institutional coordination, access to information and public participation, and environmental protection) entails some flexibility. First, because it is not an exhaustive list, and there may be other criteria that can be adhered to in this content [1]. Secondly, some components can be understood in different ways, depending on the reader’s perspective, leading in overlapped content due to their complementary nature (after all, the classification is unimportant as long as full compliance with its content is guaranteed) [1]. However, this classification is helpful for the systematization and the analysis of the human right to sanitation (HRS).

For this investigation, the first step was to identify and describe the content of the human right to sanitation—which constitutes the characteristics to understand the idea of the analyzed objects—based on official United Nations documents [1,2,5,16].

3. Brief description of the content of the Human Right to Sanitation:

Availability: It implies that sanitation facilities (with the associated services) are available to everyone and in sufficient number (for this study, we focus on the availability of the infrastructure—sanitation services, sewerage networks, and WWTP).

Quality: It focuses on the correct functioning and adequate maintenance of the available infrastructure (sanitation services, sewerage networks, and WWTP). It includes complying with the regulatory framework and avoiding direct contact with human excrements or greywater and its safe disposal.

Physical accessibility: In terms of human rights, it implies adequate access to sanitation facilities for all, in each household, immediate vicinity or public spaces, all times of day and night. The sanitation facilities and the path leading to them must ensure minimal risk to the physical security of users. It includes sanitation facilities be designed to enable people with special access needs and marginalized groups to access them physically. It also implies access to sanitation to people living in remote places (rural areas) where sewerage connections are costly and challenging to implement.

Affordability: It means that access to sanitation facilities and services must be available at an affordable price for all people. It includes sewerage systems and on-site sanitation, where sewerage usually is unavailable.

Acceptability: Sanitation solutions must be adapted to the social and cultural acceptability of the different regions (privacy, separate facilities for women and men in public places, hygiene practices, and the absence of sewerage odors).

Equality and non-discrimination: Sanitation must be accessible, especially for the vulnerable and marginalized population (people living in poverty conditions, migrants, indigenous people, refugees, inmates and detainees, people with disabilities, women, children, older adults, people affected with health conditions, and people living in remote areas).

Government management and inter-institutional coordination: States must clearly assign institutional responsibilities for sanitation at all levels, and proper coordination must be ensured.

Access to information and public participation: States must have adequate, precise, updated, and detailed information on sanitation coverage in the country. Likewise, each person has the right to participate in the decision-making process that affects their rights to water and sanitation.

Environmental protection: Everyone has the right to access an adequate and safe sanitation service that protects public health and the environment.

4. Conclusions

Sanitation as a human right entails looking at other elements not considered from the traditional sanitation approach. In addition to the shared vision of sanitation, as the availability of infrastructure and its proper functioning for wastewater treatment and disposal, it includes social components such as the access to sanitation facilities for vulnerable groups; cultural, economic, and environmental components; as well as the necessary institutional and management arrangements, aspects of equality and non-discrimination, and the access to information and public participation.