This document, titled “Slums: Human Rights Live Here” by Amnesty International (May 2009), sheds light on the dire conditions in slums globally, where over 1 billion people live amid inadequate housing, lack of sanitation, and deprivation of basic services. It underscores that slums are not merely a manifestation of poverty but a stark reflection of systemic human rights violations.
Slums, home to over a billion people across continents, reflect the global failure to uphold basic human rights. Known by various names—favelas, barrios, informal settlements—they exhibit shared characteristics: substandard housing, overcrowding, and poor or absent water, sanitation, and electricity services. Residents face precarious tenure, constant eviction threats, and limited access to justice. Projections suggest this population will double to 2 billion by 2030, driven by urban migration, rural disinvestment, natural disasters, and forced evictions. Poverty, the world’s gravest human rights crisis, is starkly visible in slums.
Systemic Violations in Slums
Housing and Security
Slum residents are systematically denied adequate housing. Governments routinely fail to meet obligations under international human rights law, opting instead for forced evictions—an egregious human rights violation. Often carried out to facilitate urban development or international events like the Olympics, these evictions are marked by excessive police force, arbitrary arrests, and destruction of homes without alternatives. Residents lose possessions, livelihoods, and social networks, with women disproportionately affected due to gender discrimination.
Lack of Services and Resources
Denied formal recognition, slum dwellers are excluded from public services like healthcare, education, and sanitation. Many live close to resources yet remain underserved. Overcrowded housing, unsafe water, and hazardous locations exacerbate health risks. Educational access is also limited, with children barred from schools due to lack of documentation or high costs. Women endure heightened vulnerabilities, including risks of sexual violence when accessing sanitation.
Exclusion and Discrimination
Residents are often excluded from urban planning and decision-making. Discrimination marginalizes them further, denying participation in resource allocation and leaving slum development unaddressed. In places like Kibera, Nairobi, informal settlements house over half the city’s population but are ignored in city budgets. Privatization of services worsens this disparity, as private providers often neglect low-income areas.
Violence and Insecurity
Slum communities are marked by violence, both from criminal gangs and law enforcement. Residents frequently fall victim to unlawful killings, extrajudicial actions, and excessive force during police operations. In Brazil and Jamaica, entire communities are stigmatized as criminal, further eroding trust in justice systems. Criminal gangs dominate many slums, enforcing their rule through violence, while governments fail to provide adequate public security.
Case Studies: Global Struggles
The report highlights cases like Banga Wé, Angola, where families faced demolitions for urban housing projects without prior notice or viable alternatives. In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, hundreds were forcibly evicted with no access to water, electricity, or basic services at resettlement sites. In Rio de Janeiro’s favelas, residents endure police raids marked by violence, reflecting the intersection of poverty, insecurity, and systemic neglect.
Vulnerable Groups: Women and Minorities
Women face acute challenges, including domestic violence and sexual assault exacerbated by poor infrastructure. Minority groups, like the Roma in Europe, endure systemic exclusion. In Slovakia, Romani settlements lack basic public facilities, reflecting entrenched discrimination.
The Demand for Dignity
The report concludes with Amnesty International’s Demand Dignity campaign, advocating for urgent global action to address these violations. Key demands include ending forced evictions, ensuring equal access to services, and facilitating residents’ participation in development processes. Governments are urged to adopt laws and policies aligned with international human rights standards, particularly regarding housing.
A Rights-Based Approach
Slums embody the intersection of poverty and human rights abuse, requiring an approach that prioritizes dignity and equity. Amnesty International stresses that addressing slums must transcend resource provision; it must challenge systemic discrimination and empower communities to reclaim their rights. Without immediate action, the staggering scale of human rights violations in slums will continue to deepen global inequality.