Open defecation is defined as the practice of defecating in open fields, waterways, and open trenches without any proper disposal of human excreta (Saleem et al., 2019). The term “open defecation” is credited to the publications of the Joint Monitoring Pr

Open defecation refers to the act of defecating in public spaces, such as open fields, bodies of water, and uncovered trenches, without any proper means of disposing of human waste (Saleem et al., 2019). The term "open defecation" was first introduced in the 2008 reports of the Joint Monitoring Program (JMP), which is a partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) aimed at assessing global advancements in water and sanitation initiatives (Saleem et al., 2019).