Like food and water, shelter is one of the most basic human needs, yet access to adequate shelter is something that eludes millions of people worldwide. On March 3rd, I was in Geneva, Switzerland to see the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing present her report on homelessness as a pressing global issue to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR). Over the last two semesters I worked with the Special Rapporteur, Leilani Farha, and her team to research and produce her report to the UN on this topic through the International Human Rights Program (IHRP) at the law school. My clinical partner, LL.M student David Tortell, and I researched various aspects of homelessness on a global scale.
The process of assisting the Special Rappoteur opened my eyes to the reality that homeless people face each and every day. One of the things that struck me the most was what has been termed the “criminalization of homelessness.” Being homeless in and of itself is of course not a crime. However in many jurisdictions around the world, life-sustaining activities such as sleeping, eating, or going to the washroom, are illegal. This makes it virtually impossible to be homeless without punishment from the legal system.
Read the full article: Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Invisibility of Homeless People and Their Rights