More than 100 newly built toilets have been unveiled at an Indian village where two young girls were found hanging from a tree after they had gone out at night to a field to relieve themselves.

The latrines were built at Katra Sadatganj in Uttar Pradesh, where in May the two girls were found hanging from a mango tree. Police initially said the girls had been raped and murdered and five men were detained. The case has now been taken over by federal investigators. No charges have yet been brought.

The death of the teenagers drew attention to a dark reality of life for hundreds of millions of Indians, namely the lack of access to proper sanitation. The UN estimates around 600m Indians, just under half the population, have no access to proper toilets and are obliged to defecate in the open.

After the two cousins were found hanging from a tree on the edge of the village, relatives said the girls had disappeared after going to relieve themselves under cover of darkness, as was the usual practice.

Campaigners say women in particular suffer from a lack of sanitation and that low-caste families typically have less access to proper toilets than higher-caste families. Women risk not just bacterial infection and snake bites, but also being sexually assaulted.

The toilets were built at Katra Sadatganj by the Delhi-based sanitation charity, Sulabh. The charity adopted the village after the killing of the girls in May.

During his Independence Day speech on 15 August, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said he wanted to provide proper toilets in every school in the country within a year.

'To Be A Girl': WaterAid launches a new campaign Show all 10 1 /10 'To Be A Girl': WaterAid launches a new campaign 'To Be A Girl': WaterAid launches a new campaign India Some 300 million girls and women in India still practise open defecation. Over half the country’s population, 800 million people, do not have access to a toilet that meets basic standards 'To Be A Girl': WaterAid launches a new campaign India Kajal Gautam (16) with her close friend and cousin Sarita Gautam (17) walk in the evening to a toilet in an open defecation area of the village, Nihura Basti, Kanpur 'To Be A Girl': WaterAid launches a new campaign India An open defecation area next to the Indian army camp, Nihura Basti, Kanpur 'To Be A Girl': WaterAid launches a new campaign India Kajal’s family tried to build a toilet in their home in in Nihura, a slum located on defence land in Kanpur but it was torn down as new construction is forbidden in the illegal settlement. WaterAid has restored community toilets nearby, but there is a nominal fee towards upkeep and many people still don’t use them, because of extreme poverty or simply because they are used to defecating in the open. Kajal’s family say they can’t afford to pay to use latrines because they have to pay school fees, so instead they relieve themselves in the open, putting the girls at increased risk of humiliation, harassment, attack and even rape 'To Be A Girl': WaterAid launches a new campaign India Kajal Gautam (16) washes her hands whilst preparing food with her sister Pooja (17) and mother Suman Gautam (35) in Nihura Basti, Kanpur 'To Be A Girl': WaterAid launches a new campaign India Dirty water used for food preparation in Kajal Gautam's kitchen, Nihura Basti, Kanpur 'To Be A Girl': WaterAid launches a new campaign India Kajal: “I go to the toilet in nearby fields. How can you like it when there are lots of men around when you go to the toilet? “When I go to the toilet, people make remarks and I get annoyed. It’s also not very safe. A five-year-old girl was taken by some boys when coming back from the toilet so I don’t go on my own. I usually go with my sister or cousin” 'To Be A Girl': WaterAid launches a new campaign India “I would like to have a toilet in the house. But if not, I would at least like to use the community toilets so I wouldn’t have to go outside” 'To Be A Girl': WaterAid launches a new campaign India Tooth brushes stored between stones in the wall at Kajal Gautam's home, Nihura Basti, Kanpur 'To Be A Girl': WaterAid launches a new campaign India Kajal Gautam (16) prepares food for her family at home, Nihura Basti, Kanpur

“Has it ever pained us that our mothers and sisters have to defecate in the open,” he said. “Can’t we just make arrangements for toilets for the dignity of our mothers and sisters?”

He added: “We are in the 21st century and yet there is still no dignity for women as they have to go out in the open to defecate. Can you imagine the number of problems they have to face because of this?”

The founder of Sulabh, Bindeshwar Pathak, said at Sunday’s unveiling ceremony that a lack of toilets was a factor in many sexual attacks, especially in rural areas.