Livewire – Amnesty International blogging for human rights

Informal settlement residents joined together with Amnesty International to demand an end to forced evictions at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. (c) Madi Keita/Amnesty International

By Francis Makanda Sakwa, Amnesty International Kenya ‘Gender Defender’ and resident of Mathare slum, Nairobi

I live in an informal settlement. I work, pay taxes, and use the money I earn to raise my children and support my family. Mine is a voice that isn’t often printed in my country’s newspapers, or heard by my Government. But did you know that in sub-Saharan Africa three out of every four people living in a city or town live in a slum, like me? That is a staggering statistic: three-quarters – a clear majority – of Africa’s urban people live in homes that are built without planning or other permission. This is a massive hidden crisis for our cities and our governments.

Us ordinary Kenyans living in informal settlements face many challenges. The authorities fail to adequately provide us with essential services, such as water, sewers, roads, schools, health clinics and police posts. But the biggest violation of our human rights we face is the threat of forced evictions.

In early November, supported by Amnesty International, I travelled with slum dwellers from Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, Zimbabwe and Chad to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in The Gambia. We went united to ask for help in demanding an immediate end to forced evictions in Africa. Continuar leyendo ‘Slum residents address Africa’s human rights body to demand end to forced evictions’ »

'Activists in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, call for an end to forced evictions on World Habitat Day, 3 October 2011.' (c) Grupul de Lucru al Organizatiilor Civice (gLOC)

By Barbora Cernusakova and Fotis Filippou, Amnesty International’s EU team

Hundreds of people, the majority Roma, live in a long-standing settlement close to a landfill and a chemical waste dump in Pata Rât, on the periphery of Cluj-Napoca, the third largest city in north-west Romania. More than 70 families, most of them Roma, were moved here to inadequate new housing units, two and a half kilometres from the closest bus stop and far from schools, health services and jobs, after they were forcibly evicted in December 2010 from Coastei Street in the centre of the city.

Florin Stancu was not at home when the municipality announced the eviction, 48 hours before it happened. “I was in Italy for work and I received a phone call to come as soon as possible, because they are demolishing our homes. I took a plane from Rome and arrived at 11pm on 16 December 2010. Everybody had packed. They were told that at 5am the municipal police will come. Whoever had packed would be moved normally. Whoever had not would be moved by force. I asked: ‘Why are you moving us in the middle of the winter? Why are you sending us there with the garbage?’” Continuar leyendo ‘“Allow us to live in dignity” – calling an end to forced evictions in Romania’ »

Todos los días, infinidad de personas son desalojadas por la fuerza de sus hogares sin salvaguardias legales. © Nora Lindström

Por Meghna Abraham, jefa del equipo sobre Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales de Amnistía Internacional

Llegas a casa por la tarde, tras un largo día de trabajo. Los niños están haciendo lo deberes sentados frente a una mesa. De repente, llegan unos funcionarios del gobierno con una excavadora para demoler tu casa.

Puede que te hayan avisado con una semana de antelación, con un día o que simplemente no te hayan avisado. No has tenido tiempo para impugnar ante los tribunales el desalojo, y ni tan siquiera para hacer una lista de las pertenencias que podrías perder.
Continuar leyendo ‘Los derechos humanos viven aquí: Detener los desalojos forzosos en todo el mundo’ »

By Heerko Dijksterhuis, Africa Coordinator at Amnesty International Netherlands and Dani Valls, Regional Campaign Coordinator, Africa Programme, Amnesty International International Secretariat

Yesterday was World Habitat Day. In Port Harcourt, Nigeria, waterfront residents turned up in their hundreds to demand development from their government, instead of forced evictions. At least 2000 people were present at the event where community leaders and NGO activists addressed the crowd. Their message: People live here!

Community leaders and activists spoke loud and clear: “The people want development, not demolitions. Our demand to the government is to stop forced evictions, because housing is a human right! Waterfront residents are committed to working on better living conditions, together with the government and other parties, and developing the waterfronts for the benefit of all!” Continuar leyendo ‘People Live Here: Celebrating World Habitat Day in Port Harcourt’ »

Every day, countless people are forcibly evicted without legal safeguards © Nora Lindström

By Meghna Abraham, Head of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Team at Amnesty International

You come home in the evening, after a long day’s work. Your children are sitting at a table, finishing their homework. Suddenly, some government officials arrive with a bulldozer to demolish your home.

You may have had a week’s notice, or a day or none at all. You did not have enough time to legally challenge the eviction or even to make a list of the belongings which you may lose.
Continuar leyendo ‘Human rights live here – stopping forced evictions worldwide’ »