DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Regional Consultation on Women and Adequate Housing in North America

In October of 2005, NLCHP participated in the Regional Consultation on Women and Adequate Housing in North America in cooperation with U.N. Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Mr. Miloon Kothari.
The consultation highlighted the removal of children from their parents because of inadequate housing, dangers faced by homeless women living on the street, and the relationship between domestic violence and women's homelessness, among other topics.

Women from the US and Canada drew on their personal experiences in a day of training and provided oral testimony about violations of their housing rights. The forum gave them an opportunity to present their own perspectives and solutions to the U.N. Special Rapporteur, to each other, and to an international community of advocates.

Below, you will find documents and reports from the session.
 

Agenda for Consultation

Testimony:

ACLU Testimony

Amnesty International- USA

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless

INTERCEDE

National Alliance of HUD Tenants

National Center on Family Homelessness

Poverty and Race Research Action Council

Toronto Disaster Relief

Wisconsin Judicare, Inc.

YWCA Canada

Other International Testimony: Part 1 and Part 2

NLCHP Press Release

Women and adequate housing Study by the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, Miloon Kothari Click Here

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man (founding document of the Inter-American human rights system)

American Convention on Human Rights (Convention creating the Inter-American Human Rights Court and imposing specific obligations upon states; US has signed, but not ratified)

Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (US has not signed or ratified) 

 Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women (US has not signed or ratified)

Jessica Gonzalez Report (whether there is a state obligation to enforce an order of protection)

Testimony by Jessica Gonzalez  

Other Gonzalez Case Information (from the ACLU) 

Other Resources on International Human Rights and the Right to Housing for Domestic Violence Survivors

Report of the UN Special Rapportuer on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context (2006)
Report

Report of the UN Special Rapportuer on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context (2005)
Report

More information international treaties and the right to housing is available here.