Juan Carlos Benito Sanchez
Coordinator, SocialEnergie Support Centre,
Fédération des Services Sociaux (Belgium)
In many parts of Europe, it remains possible to cut off the water supply for individuals and families who do not have the means to pay for it. Water disconnections in response to a household’s inability to pay are contrary to human rights law, preventing those affected from living a dignified life and leading to further social exclusion and increased health risks.
María José Aldanas, coordinator of Housing Rights Watch
Sonia Olea, human rights officer at Caritas Spain.
The Right to Housing been codified by a wide range of International legal instruments under the umbrella of the United Nations. These include the:
On the 24th of June 2022 Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, presented his report on Non-take-up of rights in the context of social protection [1]in the UN Human Rights Council’s 50th Session. The report finds that millions of people, including some of the world’s most marginalized groups, are unable to benefit from the very systems that have been set up to protect them.
Date of the decision: 31 March 2022
Country: Ireland
The UN special rapporteur, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, presented to the 75th session of the General Assembly (15th September) his new report on COVID-19 and the right to adequate housing. The main point of this text was to underscore the right to housing as a fundamental right, as far as housing has emerged as a key defence against COVID-19.
