The Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing is preparing a set of guidelines for governments which outlines the key elements needed for the effective implementation of the right to adequate housing.
Many children in street situations are unable to enjoy their right to adequate housing. Children may be pushed to live on the street as a result of forced eviction, their family being unable to afford adequate housing or overcrowding in the home. Once on the street, children’s right to adequate housing is violated further, as they are forced to sleep in inappropriate and unsafe public spaces. They are likely to be denied access to basic services and become victims of abuse, violence, economic and sexual exploitation, as well as inhuman or degrading treatment.
The realisation of the right to adequate housing therefore has the potential to address not only the structural causes pushing children to the streets, but also other children’s rights violations more broadly. For these reasons, CSC, with the input of our network member Amnesty International, sent a submission to the Special Rapporteur.
Our submission makes recommendations on how the Special Rapporteur can better reflect the experiences of street children in the guidelines, by recognising the challenges they face in realising their right to adequate housing and advising governments on how to address these. As well as this, we urged the Special Rapporteur to include a specific guideline on children in street situations without caregivers.
You can read CSC’s submission here.
You can read the draft guidelines here.