Terra

Haiti quake survivors face eviction from camps says Oxfam

Published in Wednesday December 12th, 2012 In In the media

Tens of thousands of homeless earthquake survivors living in camps sprawled across the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince are at risk of eviction, Oxfam said on Monday. Some 78,000 living in camps on property owned by schools and churches and on private land face eviction by landowners and local authorities wanting to reclaim their land. “Thousands of people are in a very precarious situation and at risk of finding themselves on the street with nowhere to go. This government should ensure the security and protection of displaced people against violence, intimidation and unlawful threats to evict families,” Andrew Pugh, Oxfam’s country director in Haiti, said in a statement.

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Why land is at the centre of all scandals in India

Published in Wednesday December 12th, 2012 In Opinion

Recent estimates indicate that the size of India’s shadow economy may vary from 25% to 50% of the country’s annual gross domestic product (GDP). Among the 176 nations ranked in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (2012), India stood at 94, which was a lot worse than Brazil and China. India’s property sector is possibly the worst offender. Barun Mitra, the founder and director of the Delhi-based Liberty Institute, has calculated that all the land transactions, including those related to natural resources like mining, generate $20bn (£12.54bn) to $40bn of illegal money each year.

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Eviction threat hangs over 581 families in India

Published in Friday December 7th, 2012 In In the media

December 07, 2012 The threat of eviction is hanging like the sword of Damocles over 581 families living since many decades in Kalasa hobli. The high court has directed the forest department to evict them within December 31. With the decades-old inam land issue still remains unresolved, the residents are now caught in a catch-22 situation. […]

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A battle for social justice in South African townships

Published in Friday December 7th, 2012 In In the media

International gatherings of the great and the good often proclaim their commitment to poor people, but then end with the powerful maintaining profits before people. But, with the poor actually getting a say for a change at a cities summit this week in the Senegalese capital Dakar, their aim will be to ensure the urban needs of Africans are addressed. Nearly 5,000 participants, representing the public and private sectors, including ministers for local government and sustainable progress, will share their experiences and ideas at the summit. It makes the event, Africities, the most important forum on the continent for dialogue on decentralisation, governance and development.

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Hindus and Sikhs – homeless Afghan citizens

Published in Tuesday December 4th, 2012 In News

For hundreds of years, Hindus and Sikhs have lived in Afghanistan. But even after the fall of the Islamist Taliban regime, they face growing discrimination, forcing many to leave. But, despite being there for centuries, they are discriminated against for their beliefs. The war years forced many people belonging to these two non-Muslim minorities to leave the country. Sometimes you can recognize them on the streets, usually because of their black or wine-red turbans and opulent beards. Others look no different from the rest of the pedestrians, aside from the fact that they may be homeless.

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Human Rights Defenders and Land Ownership in Uganda

Published in Friday November 30th, 2012 In Social movement news

November 29, 2012 by JAMIE HITCHEN Northern Uganda is rising from the debris of a long conflict involving the rebel Lord’s Resistance Movement. Many challenges remain especially on land issues. But human rights defenders are trying to help. Lira Town, situated some 350km from Kampala to the north, is an area deeply affected by the […]

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Displaced Families Appeal for Compensation in Tanzania

Published in Thursday November 29th, 2012 In In the media

November 28, 2012 OVER 80 families in Rusumo Ward, in Ngara District, have appealed for compensation from the government after their houses were demolished to pave way for the expansion of a parking space for heavy duty vehicles plying between Tanzania and Rwanda. Reports from Ngara said the families were facing difficulties and had already […]

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Minister Nantaba Halts Eviction of 43 Families in Uganda

Published in Wednesday November 28th, 2012 In In the media

November 26, 2012 Lands State Minister Idah Nantaba has blocked eviction of over 40 families in Buleega village, Najja sub-county in Buikwe District. The families had been evicted by a Dutch citizen, Triwe Riis Jewsew, who is also a proprietor of Riis Coffee Company Limited. Riis had fenced off the over 100 acres of land […]

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Uganda Government Sorting Out Land Problems

Published in Wednesday November 28th, 2012 In Opinion

November 27, 2012 By DAUDI MIGEREKO, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development. Land is a God-given means of sustenance for all living things, which makes it rational and prudent to use for the continuation of all living species. Land utilization should be able to transform us as individuals and the entire society to be […]

A Vacant Lot Offers Refugees a Taste of Home

Published in Tuesday November 27th, 2012 In In the media

The refugees are accidental farmers in an unlikely urban field that is part of an ambitious plan to transform vacant land. The lot sits on one of the busiest corners of this expansive city, across from an English pub, near a light-rail stop and in sight of the glimmering high rises that punctuate downtown.

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