NEW YORK/GENEVA (22 October 2010) – “The inadequate and often appalling housing conditions faced by millions of international migrants around the world are mainly the result of discriminatory practices. This situation can be redressed only through the adoption of a truly human rights-based approach,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, during the presentation of her annual report* to the General Assembly in New York today.
“Today most of the two hundred million international migrants are not enjoying their right to adequate housing”, stated the Special Rapporteur. “To the contrary, they often endure terrible housing conditions, as illustrated by the situation of thousands of migrant domestic workers forced to sleep in bathrooms, kitchen or closets and often subject to domestic violence, sexual harassment or forced confinement,” she added.
The Special Rapporter also noted that while historically the larger proportion of migrants have moved from low- and middle-income countries to high-income countries, today almost half international migrants are estimated to move South-South.
In her report, the Special Rapporteur clarifies how international human rights law protects the right to adequate housing of international migrants and prohibits discriminatory, unfair and degrading treatment. In this context, the Special Rapporteur underlines that “States have no justification for not protecting vulnerable groups from housing-related discrimination, as the obligation to prohibit discrimination is binding on all States even in the context of severe resource constraints.”
“But migration is essentially looked at by Governments as a security issue, to be handled by law enforcement forces and not through the implementation of human rights principles” warns the Special Rapporteur. “Instead of benefitting from housing policies designed to facilitate their integration, migrants are often discriminated in the housing market and likely to be housed in inadequate locations, in overcrowded conditions and with poor or inexistent facilities,” she adds.
The Special Rapporteur also expressed concern that migrants, and particularly those living in informal settings, are also very often the victims of forced eviction in the context of urban renewal projects. She highlighted the fact that in many European countries, the authorities frequently order the dismantling of illegal camps of travelers and Roma, rendering hundreds or thousands homeless.”
“States should match the elaboration of housing policies inclusive of migrants with the adoption of special policies to address their particular housing challenges,” said the Special Rapporteur. “This is crucial to face the challenges posed by multicultural cities and villages where ethnic, religious and cultural differences can be transformed into a source of innovation and creativity instead of conflict and tension,” she concluded.
(*) Read the full report by the Special Rapporteur on housing at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Housing/Pages/AnnualReports.aspx
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Raquel Rolnik (Brazil) was appointed as Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context by the United Nations Human Rights Council, in May 2008. As Special Rapporteur, she is independent from any government or organization and serves in her individual capacity. An architect and urban planner, Rolnik has extensive experience in the area of housing and urban policies.
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