On June 20th we learned that the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) stated that eviction of tenants without a housing alternative, under its current regulations, constitutes a violation of the Human Right to Adequate Housing. The Committee judged a case of eviction by termination of the rental contract of a room, taking place in 2013 in the district of Tetuán in Madrid (Spain), which ended with a family of four sleeping in a car. Neither the Municipal Social Services nor the Housing Institute of the Community of Madrid (IVIMA, by its Spanis acronym) nor the Court itself prevented the eviction; neither did they provide housing for a family unit with two children aged 1 and 3 years old at the time1.
In its conclusions, the United Nations declares a violation by the Spanish State, ordering the reparation of the damage caused to the family and urging the Government to put forward a plan of profound reform in the matters of rent and housing within a period of 6 months, as the Committee appreciates a situation of structural breach of rights. You may consult the ruling following this link (in Spanish):
The conclusions of the United Nations point to State responsibilities with implications for all of its government levels, from municipal social services, unable to attend something as basic as a family’s right to adequate housing, to the Congress of Deputies2, responsible for a procedural legislation that turns the courts into management offices for the housing market without even allowing judges to take into consideration the situation in which the people who are going to be evicted are left.
As we have denounced after hundreds of thousands of evictions since 2009, in Spain there is a structural violation of the Right to Housing enshrined in the Declaration of Human Rights and in the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with irreparable social damages for the most vulnerable sectors of society.
This horrific outlook of social emergency has led the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages. (PAH) and the housing movement in general to organize to stop thousands of forced evictions and recover thousands of empty apartments from financial institutions to turn them into homes. In doing this, we have verified that the struggle for the Right to Housing relates to people with mortgage, indebted, evicted, renting a house, working without fixed contract, squatting, inhabitants of self-constructed homes and homeless people, bringing us all together in the face of abuses of a ruthless housing market3.
In this regard, the victory of the Madrid family that has sued the State with the result of this legal sentence is also a victory for the whole movement. This reaffirms our reasons and makes civil disobedience campaigns (such as #StopDesahucios = StopEvictions, Obra Social to rehouse people in empty bank-owned apartments and others) and proposals to change unjust laws (such as Popular Legislative Initiatives and #LeyViviendaPAH = PAH Housing Law) more necessary than ever.
Our proposal for a Housing Law that includes several of the United Nations recommendations will be discussed in Congress in September. In this context, the PAH will demand that all congressmen and congresswomen take a stand on compliance with Human Rights in housing, as we have demanded every day in the streets for the past eight years.
We will not put up with more violations of Human Rights,
We will not tolerate any further evictions!
Platform for People Affected by Mortgages., July 6, 2017.
1 The UN points out as particularly glaring the inaction of Madrid’s autonomic authorities, which claimed lack of enough housing to protect this family (and thousands of others also evicted in the region), while at the same time public housing was sold to international capital vulture funds. See ruling, paragraph 17.
2 Constitutional body representing the Spanish people.
3 The Spanish government claimed via its representative in front of the United Nations that rental contracts among individuals are extraneous to the State’s responsibility, which may not interfere in “private” business. The Spanish government denied as well any wrongdoing, going so far as to claim that the rental market is not subjected to international Human Rights law.
Londres se levanta con trágicas noticias de un edificio de vivienda pública incendiado a pesar de que muchas llamadas de alerta se hicieron sobre los riesgos de accidente al distrito donde se encuentra el edificio de Grenfell. 58 personas han muerto (y el número aún puede aumentar), muchas están heridas y muchas más han perdido sus casas.
El edificio de Grenfell se encuentra en una de las zonas más exclusivas de Londres (en el distrito de Kensington y Chelsea) y a pesar de ser una de las zonas de mayor poder adquisitivo en el planeta, las inversiones en vivienda pública han ido decreciendo y los recortes a los derechos básicos han continuado a impactar negativamente la vida de quienes habitaban la torre de Grenfell.
Este acontecimiento es la indignante representación de un modelo económico basado en la austeridad para los más pobres.
Desde la PAH queremos solidarizarnos con quienes han perdido a sus seres queridos en este incendio y queremos denunciar la falta de atención, inversión y humanidad por parte de la administración pública. Nos unimos a nuestras comPAHñeras del Radical Housing Network en demandar #JustifeforGrenfell
London rises with tragic news of a public housing building set on fire despite the fact that many warning calls were made about the accident risks to the district where the Grenfell building is located. 58 people have died (and the number may still increase), many are injured and many more have lost their homes.
The Grenfell building is located in one of the most exclusive areas of London (Kensington and Chelsea) and despite being one of the areas with the highest purchasing power in the world, investments in public housing have been decreasing and the Cuts to basic rights have continued to negatively impact the lives of those who inhabited the Grenfell Tower.
This event is the outrageous representation of an economic model based on austerity for the poorest.
On behalf of PAH we want to show solidarity with those who have lost their loved ones in this fire and we want to denounce the lack of attention, investment and humanity on the part of the public administration. We join our Radical Housing Network partners in suing #JusticeforGrenfell
¡La vivienda es un derecho y no una mercancía! Llevamos años en una situación que miles de familias en todo el estado están padeciendo los estragos de la “crisis”, como demuestran los 166 desahucios al día, que se siguen produciendo.
¡Ya basta de leyes injustas! Ha llegado el momento de cambiar las cosas y por ello, la PAH promueve una ley de vivienda, la #LeyViviendaPAH, poniendo unos cimientos sólidos para garantizar el Derecho a la vivienda.
¡Logremos entre todas que se legisle la Ley de Vivienda de la PAH!
Tras más de un año de negociaciones, Anticipa/Blackstone ha demostrado que NO tiene ninguna intención de responder favorablemente a ninguna de nuestras demandas y de dar solución a los decenas de casos que están bloqueados. Desde que Anticipa/Blackstone se hizo cargo de la cartera de hipotecas de CatalunyaCaixa (banco rescatado con 12.000 millones de euros de dinero público) en Julio del 2015, las familias no han dejado de ser extorsionadas, amenazadas, engañadas y ninguneadas de forma sistemática. Prácticas mafiosas de Anticipa/Blackstone:
Por lo tanto a partir de hoy las PAH de toda Cataluña dejarán de reunirse, contestar llamadas o mails de ningún representante de Anticipa/Blackstone hasta que nuestras demandas sean atendidas:
Las familias afectadas también rompen cualquier comunicación con Anticipa/Blackstone y sólo contestarán a los mails que respondan exactamente a sus peticiones. No cederemos ante las prácticas mafiosas de Anticipa/Blackstone. Nuestras peticiones tienen toda la legitimidad y continuaremos plantando cara a todos los que atenten contra nuestro derecho a una vivienda digna. No vamos a parar hasta conseguir que Anticipa/Blackstone aparte sus garras de nuestros hogares.
El próximo sábado 4 de Junio arrancamos de nuevo nuestra campaña de #Las5DeLaPAH y lo hacemos de forma alegre y en buena compañía, como siempre en las PAHs. Daremos el pistoletzao de salida a la campaña en defensa del derecho a la vivienda de cara a las elecciones del 26 de Junio.
No vamos a permitir que Gobierne ningún partido que no se comprometa hacer efectivas las 5 demandas de mínimos de la PAH:
1. Dación en Pago Retroactiva, para que las familias dejen de ser esclavas de deudas impagables e ilegítimas.
2. Alquiler Asequible, con una consecuente reforma de la LAU que permita regular los precios y aumentar la duración de los contratos.
3. Stop Desahucios, protegiendo a las familias para que no se queden en la calle.
4. Vivienda Social, utilizando las casas vacías en manos de la banca para crear un parque público de alquiler social.
5. Suministros Garantizados, para garantizar a las familias el acceso a bienes necesarios para la vida como el agua, la luz y el gas.
De momento no podemos desvelar que vamos hacer el 4J pero os avanzamos que no será una cacerolada, que habrán chorizos (ya veremos cuales), algo “inconstitucional” y mucho color verde
¿Te apuntas?
Consulta la convocatoria de tu PAH más cercana y colabora en la acción! Iremos actualizando las convocatorias aqui:
Bilbao Teatro Arriaga Arriaga-11h kalegira gran via 85
Barcelona, la calle Urgell 249
Madrid, Matadero
Elche, Plaza Corazón de Jesús,
Zamora,Plaza de la Constitución (12h)
Valladolid, Plaza Fuente Dorada (12H)
Segovia, Plaza Mayor (13h)
Mallorca, Plaza de Espanya
29 abril de 2016 el Partido Popular suspende la ley 24/2015
En la PAH tenemos un mensaje: no vamos a permitir que se vulnere el derecho a la vivienda #NiUnPasoAtrás
Miércoles 27 de abril a las 18.30h
“CACEROLADA EN LAS SEDES DEL PP” de todo el estado.
¡¡La Ley 24/2015 de la PAH, no se toca!!
CONVOCATORIAS (iremos actualizando los próximos días)