Criminalisation of homelessness in Europe
Dian v. Denmark. Application no: 44002/22. [21.05.2024]
FIDH and ATD - Fourth World v. Belgium. Colective Complaint No. 233/2023
Date: The complaint was registered on 1 December 2023.
Jurisdiction: Council of Europe – European Committee of Social Rights
Country: Belgium
Legal basis: It relates to Article 16 (the right of the family to social, legal and economic protection), Article 30 (the right to protection against poverty and social exclusion) and Article E (non-discrimination) in conjunction with the relevant provisions of the revised European Social Charter.
FEANTSA and FIDH v. France. Collective complaint No. 224/2023
Date: The complaint was registered on 3 April 2023.
Jurisdiction: Council of Europe – European Committee of Social Rights
Country: France
Legal basis: It concerns Articles 1 (the right to work), 11 (the right to protection of health), 30 (the right to protection against poverty and social exclusion), 31 (the right to housing) and E (non-discrimination) in conjunction with the aforementioned provisions of the revised European Social Charter.
Bans on begging in 253 Belgian municipalities do not respect human rights
Bans on begging in 253 Belgian municipalities do not respect human rights
UN experts express concern to France over proposed anti-squatting law
The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, [1] Olivier De Schutter, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing,[2] Balakrishnan Rajagopal, have in a letter to the French Government[3] expressed their concern about a draft law increasing penalties for unlawfully occupying housing and commercial buildings.
New UN resolution on adequate housing adopted
At its Forty-ninth session, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on Adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and the right to non-discrimination in this
Amnesty report on the impact of Covid-19 restrictions
In May Amnesty International published a new report[1] assessing the impact of pandemic restrictions across the globe: ‘There is no help for our community: The impact of States’ Covid-19 responses on groups affected by unjust criminalization’. The report is based on an online survey of 54 civil society organizations in 28 countries, FEANTSA being one of them.
New UK policing bill could have detrimental impact on the rights of people that are rough sleeping and of nomadic communities
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021 is a piece of legislation which proposes an overhaul of current policing, criminal justice and sentencing laws in England and Wales. Several human rights actors have raised concerns regarding the bill's compatibility with international human rights obligations.
UK law criminalizing rough sleeping and begging, the Vagrancy act, is finally being scrapped
The Vagrancy Act 1824[1] has been in place in the United Kingdom for almost 200 years, making it a criminal offence to rough sleep and beg. In February 2022, UK Ministers finally confirmed that the Vagrancy Act will be repealed as part of a government amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021[2].