Social movement news

International Tenant’s Day theme 2013: Tenure neutrality

In 2013, the International Tenant´s Day, together with the UN Habitat Day, falls on October 7 – always the first Monday in October. Tenure neutrality is the situation in which the consumer is financially indifferent between owning and renting a dwelling.

Indigenous Communities in Paraguay and Ecuador Sign Declaration to Promote Enforcement of Decisions related to the Right to Land

Representatives of the Sarayaku people (Ecuador), Dejusticia (Colombia), and Fundación Pachamama(Ecuador), with the support of ESCR-Net, came together at meetings organized by the Enxet-Sanapaná people together with Tierraviva (Paraguay) on September 26-27. The discussions focused on enforcing decisions by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR).

What is the International Tribunal on Evictions?

The International Tribunal on Evictions is an opinion tribunal established by civil society organisations for the World Zero Evictions Days – for the Right to Habitat to practically and interactively discuss the question of forced evictions around the world.

National Day of Action for ICCPR

This Day of Action is all about the ICCPR – International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – a tool that we have underutilized for far too long. The ICCPR is a human rights treaty that was drafted by the United Nations (UN) and that the U.S. Government (along with 166 other countries) signed and accepted as law in 1992. Since then, that same government has done little to let us – their people – know about the rights they pledged to protect under this treaty.

European Parliament hearing about the criminalization of homelessness

“Criminalizing and penalizing homeless people for carrying out life-sustaining activities in public because there is nowhere to go is a problem across the EU” said Rina Beers, President of FEANTSA today at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Homeless people in Hungary: a call for solidarity

The Hungarian government has taken a series of actions against homeless people over the past three years. These ordinances, laws and local actions seriously violate the dignity of thousands of citizens living in poverty. While hardly taking any positive and sustainable measures to ensure the social rights of Hungary’s most vulnerable citizens, the government’s approach to poverty and homelessness has been predominantly punitive.

Hungary is about to criminalise homelessness once again

The Minister of Interior proposed the modification of the Act on Petty Offences in April 2013 to allow local municipalities to penalize the use of public spaces for habitation in order to preserve public order, public safety, public health and cultural values. The law would also penalize the building of huts/shacks without permission. The parliamentary debate of the proposal started this week, and the final vote will most probably take place on September 23 or 24, 2013.

London Roma hit back at harrassment

Westminster City’s notorious attempts to ethnically-cleanse Roma from billionaire Park Lane may have begun to unravel last night when homeless London Roma spoke out at a meeting with a UN special rapporteur and gave evidence to a European Roma Rights Centre team.

Fixing the mortgage game: Hill vs. Goliath battle in Bronzeville

About five years later, Hill’s monthly statement from Saxon Mortgage Services Inc. increased by $500. According to Hill, Saxon explained it covered homeowner’s insurance, which her carrier confirmed she already had. Hill said Saxon led her to believe it would make the correction. Saxon subsequently returned her third payment of the usual amount, warning her account was now in arrears.

High time for justice in Badia East

The Social and Economic Rights Action Center (SERAC) and Amnesty International have published a joint report on the February 23, 2013 mass forced eviction of at least 9,000 persons from the Oke-Ilu-Eri and Ajeromi villages of Badia East, Lagos. Building on SERAC’s longstanding engagement with the affected community, the report marshals evidence given by victims, Lagos State Government officials, and other witnesses.