when children do not dare to go to the toilet at school

“It disgusts me !”, says Sarah, in sixth grade. Going to the bathroom is supposed to be easy and natural. Yet for schoolchildren or college students, it can become a chore. Indeed, according to a Harris Interactive poll published in 2019, 81% of 6-11 year olds said they sometimes refrain from going to the bathroom and 55% only go there when they can no longer hold back. While November 29 is World Toilet Day, franceinfo has tried to understand why the little ones often miss the mark.

For Sarah, it is therefore a question of cleanliness. “JI find the toilets a bit dirty. I know they are cleaned but I don’t really like going “, confides the young schoolgirl. Ruben is rather held back by his shyness. “I’m a little afraid to go to the bathroom because there are a lot of people and I don’t like it too much”, he explains from the top of his 11 years. It is not always easy for him to make his way between the greats of college:

“I hold back and wait to get home”

Ruben, 11-year-old schoolboy

to franceinfo

The same goes for Chloe, who is in CM1: the toilets at her school are not intimate enough. “The doors have holes so you can look down”, complains the little girl, claiming that she has “already seen” of people spying under doors. “J‘wait until everyone is gone and the toilet is empty before going. ”

Consequence: the little schoolgirl therefore has very little bowel movement, except when she no longer has a choice. “Unfortunately, I can only encourage him to hold back”, confides his mother. She is convinced that her daughter “will not be able to do his big errand at school”. It is fatalistic: “I can’t blame him.”

Children who have difficulty relieving themselves, Benjamin sees a number of them. The person in charge of animation at the Jean-de-la-Fontaine school in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, must deploy a lot of pedagogy to explain what is in fact a daily and necessary action. “You can’t force a child to go to the bathroom. You can only advise him, encourage him, show him that it’s something normal that we all do in order not to get sick.”

Precisely, sick children because they refuse to go to the toilet at school, Maud Chabaud, pediatric urologist in Paris, welcomes two to three per day. “It’s a real public health problem”, warns this doctor, explaining that holding back too much can lead to complications. “There are risks of bladder dysfunction, which can lead to urine leakage and urinary tract infections. Gradually, if these problems last a long time, they end up with a really damaged bladder and difficult to treat afterwards. “ She therefore calls on the Minister of National Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, to react quickly, so that the youngest feel a little more comfortable to defecate.