BinZiad
13-12-2002, 22:44
Press Release
Embargoed until: 00.01 10 December 2002 (Human Right’s Day)
The USA wins the World’s Worst Housing Rights Violators
Award
For the first time the Centre on Housing Rights and
Evictions (COHRE) has identified the countries guilty of
most consistently abusing and defying international housing
rights law and the United States is among ten nations
chosen to receive the award.
The list includes Burma (Myanmar), Colombia, Croatia,
Guatemala, India, Israel, Nigeria, Pakistan, USA and
Zimbabwe. (See Winners Information attached.) The countries
were selected on the basis of reliable data which confirmed
the widespread occurrence of housing rights violations in
recent years with a particular focus on the previous twelve
months.
Housing is a human right under international law. But the
United States, which is not a party to the Covenant on
Economic Social and Cultural Rights, does not recognise
this. Each year 2.3 million adults and children experience
homelessness in the US - the richest country in the world.
Moreover, cities across the United States are introducing
laws which effectively criminalize homelessness.
Scott Leckie, COHRE Executive Director said: “The inclusion
of the United States in this year’s winners draws attention
to the fact that upholding housing rights is not just a
question of wealth, but a question of political will. Many
of the other nine winners, most of which are developing
countries, are guilty of widespread forced evictions,
destroying homes and leaving thousands of their own
citizens homeless. In such cases these are the result of
wrong political decisions, and not a lack of money. All
housing rights violations are avoidable – even in the
poorest of countries, let alone the richest.”
Forced evictions, which often involve the complete
destruction of someone’s home, are a gross violation of
human rights under international law. To coincide with the
Housing Rights Violators’ Awards COHRE is releasing the
figures of its latest
global survey on evictions which concludes that over the
past two years
more than five million people worldwide have been forcibly
evicted
from their homes with another six million people facing the
threat
of forced evictions.
Israel's major housing rights violations identified by
COHRE in 2002 include the following:
* In April 2002 Israeli forces destroyed hundreds of homes
in the Jenin Refugee Camp leaving 4,000 people homeless.
From April 2001 to April 2002 over 400 houses were
completely destroyed and another 200 seriously damaged in
the Gaza Strip, leaving 5,000 people homeless.
Between September 2000 and September 2001, 5,000
residential buildings were destroyed in the West Bank.
Homes are demolished for 'administrative' and 'punitive'
reasons.
* Palestinian Arabs - who in 1948 owned most of Israel and
now own only 3 per cent of the land - are severely
restricted from building on this 3 per cent because of
discriminatory laws and practices. Thus thousands of
Palestinians who had no chance of ever getting a building a
permit live in fear of having their non-permitted homes
demolished by the Israeli Authorities. In July 2002 the
Israeli cabinet voted for the adoption of a bill to
restrict access to 'state land' (predominantly expropriated
land from Palestinians) to Jews only. Non-Jews may not
purchase the land and are rarely permitted to even use the
land, leaving them with nowhere to go.
* In January 2002, the Israeli Attorney General rejected a
request to compel the Israeli Custodian of Absentees'
Property to release information on property belonging to
Palestinian refugees on the grounds that it might damage
Israel's foreign relations and would require too much
effort. Since 1948 more than five million Palestinians have
had the entire contents of their homes and businesses
taken, with no recompense, by the Israeli government.
On the other hand, COHRE was able to identify a number of
governments with outstanding performance in the area of
housing rights in 2002. "Brazil, East Timor and South
Africa exemplify what can be done when the political will
of governments is genuinely applied toward protecting human
rights and safeguarding human dignity. Emerging from
violent and repressive histories, these three governments
have taken notable steps in redressing the human rights
abuses of the past."
The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) is an
international, non-governmental human rights organization
whose mission is to promote and protect the full enjoyment
of economic, social and cultural rights for everyone,
everywhere, with a particular focus on the human right to
adequate housing and preventing forced evictions.
COHRE was established in 1994 and has its International
Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. COHRE currently has
thematic programmes in Women's Housing Rights, Housing and
Property Restitution, and Internally Displaced Persons, as
well as three regional programmes in Africa, Asia-Pacific
and the Americas.
For more information contact:
Scott Leckie, Executive Director
00 41 22 734 1028
00 41 79 242 8033
Harriet Martin, Media Officer
00 41 22 734 1028
00 41 76 377 5134
Source: Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
http://www.cohre.org/#
Embargoed until: 00.01 10 December 2002 (Human Right’s Day)
The USA wins the World’s Worst Housing Rights Violators
Award
For the first time the Centre on Housing Rights and
Evictions (COHRE) has identified the countries guilty of
most consistently abusing and defying international housing
rights law and the United States is among ten nations
chosen to receive the award.
The list includes Burma (Myanmar), Colombia, Croatia,
Guatemala, India, Israel, Nigeria, Pakistan, USA and
Zimbabwe. (See Winners Information attached.) The countries
were selected on the basis of reliable data which confirmed
the widespread occurrence of housing rights violations in
recent years with a particular focus on the previous twelve
months.
Housing is a human right under international law. But the
United States, which is not a party to the Covenant on
Economic Social and Cultural Rights, does not recognise
this. Each year 2.3 million adults and children experience
homelessness in the US - the richest country in the world.
Moreover, cities across the United States are introducing
laws which effectively criminalize homelessness.
Scott Leckie, COHRE Executive Director said: “The inclusion
of the United States in this year’s winners draws attention
to the fact that upholding housing rights is not just a
question of wealth, but a question of political will. Many
of the other nine winners, most of which are developing
countries, are guilty of widespread forced evictions,
destroying homes and leaving thousands of their own
citizens homeless. In such cases these are the result of
wrong political decisions, and not a lack of money. All
housing rights violations are avoidable – even in the
poorest of countries, let alone the richest.”
Forced evictions, which often involve the complete
destruction of someone’s home, are a gross violation of
human rights under international law. To coincide with the
Housing Rights Violators’ Awards COHRE is releasing the
figures of its latest
global survey on evictions which concludes that over the
past two years
more than five million people worldwide have been forcibly
evicted
from their homes with another six million people facing the
threat
of forced evictions.
Israel's major housing rights violations identified by
COHRE in 2002 include the following:
* In April 2002 Israeli forces destroyed hundreds of homes
in the Jenin Refugee Camp leaving 4,000 people homeless.
From April 2001 to April 2002 over 400 houses were
completely destroyed and another 200 seriously damaged in
the Gaza Strip, leaving 5,000 people homeless.
Between September 2000 and September 2001, 5,000
residential buildings were destroyed in the West Bank.
Homes are demolished for 'administrative' and 'punitive'
reasons.
* Palestinian Arabs - who in 1948 owned most of Israel and
now own only 3 per cent of the land - are severely
restricted from building on this 3 per cent because of
discriminatory laws and practices. Thus thousands of
Palestinians who had no chance of ever getting a building a
permit live in fear of having their non-permitted homes
demolished by the Israeli Authorities. In July 2002 the
Israeli cabinet voted for the adoption of a bill to
restrict access to 'state land' (predominantly expropriated
land from Palestinians) to Jews only. Non-Jews may not
purchase the land and are rarely permitted to even use the
land, leaving them with nowhere to go.
* In January 2002, the Israeli Attorney General rejected a
request to compel the Israeli Custodian of Absentees'
Property to release information on property belonging to
Palestinian refugees on the grounds that it might damage
Israel's foreign relations and would require too much
effort. Since 1948 more than five million Palestinians have
had the entire contents of their homes and businesses
taken, with no recompense, by the Israeli government.
On the other hand, COHRE was able to identify a number of
governments with outstanding performance in the area of
housing rights in 2002. "Brazil, East Timor and South
Africa exemplify what can be done when the political will
of governments is genuinely applied toward protecting human
rights and safeguarding human dignity. Emerging from
violent and repressive histories, these three governments
have taken notable steps in redressing the human rights
abuses of the past."
The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) is an
international, non-governmental human rights organization
whose mission is to promote and protect the full enjoyment
of economic, social and cultural rights for everyone,
everywhere, with a particular focus on the human right to
adequate housing and preventing forced evictions.
COHRE was established in 1994 and has its International
Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. COHRE currently has
thematic programmes in Women's Housing Rights, Housing and
Property Restitution, and Internally Displaced Persons, as
well as three regional programmes in Africa, Asia-Pacific
and the Americas.
For more information contact:
Scott Leckie, Executive Director
00 41 22 734 1028
00 41 79 242 8033
Harriet Martin, Media Officer
00 41 22 734 1028
00 41 76 377 5134
Source: Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
http://www.cohre.org/#