The UN Convention (BuPo) prohibits arbitrary interference in private life, home and correspondence. This means that countries that have ratified the treaty must pass legislation that, among other things, sets clear conditions for house searches. The right to suitable housing or housing is established as one of the socio-economic rights, in the UN Convention (EcSoCu) .

States are required to take steps to realize the right to housing. Squatters, among others, invoke this right. It must then be weighed against the right to property. France is one of the very few countries that has enshrined this right to a home in law.

Housing and homelessness

The UN proclaimed 1987 the International Year of the Homeless. The aim was to stimulate international interest and involvement in the problem of urbanization in developing countries. A specialized organization, Habitat, was established for this purpose .

According to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights , more than a billion people in the world do not have adequate housing and more than 100 million people are homeless. As the committee says: ‘Without adequate housing it is difficult to find and keep work, physical and mental health are at risk, education is hindered, violence is more easily committed, privacy is limited and relationships are under pressure.’

According to the UN Committee, the right to adequate housing includes measures that protect people from forced eviction, arbitrary eviction, intimidation and other threats. People need clean drinking water, sanitation and energy near their homes. Housing must be accessible to all, including the poor, and priority must be given to the most vulnerable. International standards require states to take steps to ensure that residential homes are in safe areas, away from military sites or sources of environmental pollution. In addition, there must be the possibility of transport and work in the vicinity of houses.

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Housing: Amnesty’s Vision

Amnesty argues that the right to housing is violated by, among other things, forced eviction, destruction of houses, denial of residence and land rights and discrimination in the allocation of housing facilities. Amnesty has campaigned against, among others:

• The house destruction imposed by Israel as a punishment in the occupied territories and which particularly affects the opponents of the government in Zimbabwe and Angola.
• Housing policies in countries such as Slovakia, Albania and Italy, which are highly discriminatory against groups such as the Roma.
• The destruction of slums in countries such as Cambodia, Nigeria and Kenya. These had to make way for more profitable projects such as offices or shopping centers, without offering the residents an alternative or compensation.
• Arbitrary denial of the right to land to indigenous peoples , including Canada and a number of South American countries.
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