Assessing Austerity: Monitoring the Human Rights Impacts of Fiscal Consolidation

A new Briefing by CESR addresses fiscal austerity and its impact on Human rights. Governments have enacted drastic austerity measures like severe public expenditure cuts, regressive tax changes, and labor market and pension reforms, effectively disinvesting in human rights.

In this briefing, Budget cuts to essential public services have been found to directly thwart a number of economic and social rights to health, education, food, housing, water, sanitation, a healthy environment, and socials ecurity.

In relation to the right to housing , they have found examples of Housing Under-funding of temporary housing/shelters; reduction of housing subsidies or social housing projects; increases in Evictions. 

This briefing in PDF format can be downloaded here.