Right to housing facts for kids
The Right to housing is a basic idea. It means that everyone should have a safe place to live. This includes having a home and shelter. It also means not being homeless. Many countries agree with this idea. It is also written in important documents. These are the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This makes it a part of international law, which are rules that countries agree to follow.
What is the Right to Housing?
The main idea for the right to housing comes from Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration says that having a home is part of a person's right to an adequate standard of living. This means having enough for a good life.
Article 25 states:
Everyone has the right to a standard of living good enough for their health and well-being. This includes food, clothing, housing, medical care, and necessary social services. It also means having security if they lose their job, get sick, become disabled, or cannot earn a living for reasons beyond their control.
Another important document is the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Article 11(1) of this agreement also promises the right to housing. It is seen as part of the right to an adequate standard of living. This is one of the economic, social and cultural rights that people should have.
In international human rights law, the right to housing is a stand-alone right. This was made clear in 1991. The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights explained it in their General Comment no 4. This comment helps people understand the right to housing in legal terms.
The right to housing is also mentioned in other important agreements. These include the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is also in the European Social Charter and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights says that good housing should have several things:
- Legal security of tenure: This means you have a legal right to stay in your home. You cannot be forced out without good reason.
- Availability of services: You should have access to water, electricity, and other important services.
- Affordability: The cost of housing should not be too high. It should not stop you from buying other basic needs like food.
- Habitability: Your home must be safe and healthy to live in. It should protect you from the weather.
- Accessibility: Housing should be available to everyone. This includes people with disabilities.
- Location: Your home should be in a place that allows you to work, go to school, and get medical care.
- Cultural adequacy: Housing should respect your cultural identity.
The idea of a right to housing was also a political goal. F. D. Roosevelt, a former US president, spoke about it in 1944. He included it in his idea of a Second Bill of Rights.
Images for kids
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Homeless sleeping on Paulista Avenue, São Paulo city, Brazil.
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Housing Is A Human Right.
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Sleeping, homeless children in early 20th-century New York City taken by Jacob Riis.
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2020 protest against evictions in Minneapolis, Minnesota
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See also
In Spanish: Derecho a la vivienda para niños
