Between 2002 and 2006, the Rapporteur made a series of consultations with civil society on women’s access to and ownership of housing and land. Further research, country missions and a specific questionnaire allowed the collection of additional data, resulting in three thematic reports submitted to the UN Human Rights Commission in the years of 2003, 2005 and 2006.
From the perspective of the indivisibility of human rights, Special Rapporteur Miloon Kothari assessed the obstacles to the effective exercise of the right to housing by women. These obstacles include homelessness, violence against women, discriminatory laws, multiple prejudices, unaffordable housing, the impact of natural disasters, forced evictions and the spread of HIV.
The Rapporteur concluded that States should strengthen their legal systems and their public policies to protect the right of women to adequate housing, land and inheritance and provide support and alternatives in case of violations.
In 2011, aiming at monitoring the situation of women’s right to housing all over the world, rapporteur Raquel Rolnik returned to the theme, this time through a virtual debate platform, which made possible the participation of around 300 people from over 60 countries.
A general coordinator and seven regional coordinators helped foster the virtual debates. The regional coordinators also contributed with local research on the situation of women’s right to housing in their regions. All these contributions were fundamental for development of material and also the report on the theme.
In March 2012, Raquel Rolnik presented her report on women and the right to housing to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations.
To read the 2012 report, click the green box below.
To read the 2003 repport in another UN official idiom, click here (select idiom in the right side column).
To read the 2005 repport in another UN official idiom, click here (select idiom in the right side column).
To read the 2006 repport in another UN official idiom, click here (select idiom in the right side column).