The Hungarian Constitutional Court struck down on the criminalization of homelessness
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- Published on Sunday, 02 December 2012 12:31
- Written by Jürgen Schneider
The rule of law has prevailed!
The Hungarian Constitutional Court struck down on the criminalization of homelessness
We are very happy to announce that the Hungarian Constitutional Court, the country’s highest court, has confirmed what The City is for All has represented for years: „The mere fact that someone lives in public space does not infringe on other people’s rights, does not cause damage and does not endanger the habitual use of space or public order” – as a result, punishing street homelessness is unconstitutional. The decision of the Constitutional Court is a victory for the rule of law, for homeless people and for everyone who has spoken out against the public persecution of homeless people over the years.
It is very significant that the Constitutional Court declared that „It is detrimental to the freedom of movement derived from the right to human dignity if the state forces someone to use social services through punishment.” In other words, street homelessness has to be ended not through force but through social services of appropriate quality.
We call on those who have supported the public persecution of homelessness – especially MP and local mayor Máté Kocsis, Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér, Secretary of State Miklós Soltész and Mayor of Budapest István Tarlós – to read the decision of the Constitutional Court carefully and publicly apologize to homeless people and all law-abiding citizens of Hungary.
The City is for All does not fight for the right to live on the streets freely, but for the right to housing. This is why we call on the government and all Members of Parliament to take the court’s decision seriously regarding public policies about homelessness: „homelessness is a social problem that the state has to address through social policy and not through punishment.” If they want to rectify their measures against the rule of law and homeless citizens, the government should go forward and introduce a housing policy reform that ensures decent housing for all citizens including a law on the right to housing, the radical increase in housing subsidies for low-income people and the creation of a broad network of social housing.
English-language information about the grassroots struggle against the criminalization of homelessness:
They are harassing homeless people (video)
Professor Neil Smith’s Letter to the Minister of Interior of Hungary
Hundreds demonstrated against the criminalization of homelessness
Demonstration against the criminalization of homelessness (video)
Performance and sit-in ended in the arrest of activists
Sit-in against the criminalization of homelessness (video)
We are not afraid of breaking laws for justice
In The City is for All, homeless people, people struggling with housing problems and their allies work together for an egalitarian and just society. The group is based on voluntary work and provides an opportunity for homeless people to stand up for their dignity and fight for the right to housing. Homeless people play a leading role in all of our activities. More information: www.avarosmindenkie.blog.hu
Contact: Bálint Vojtonovszki + 3620/4499110, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Poverty and Inequalities: Conference of the Council of Europe - 21 and 22 February 2013
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- Published on Sunday, 02 December 2012 12:30
- Written by Jürgen Schneider
Good afternoon ,
The Council of Europe is organising in partnership with the European Union, a conference on "Poverty and Inequalities, Paradoxes in Societies of Human Rights and Democracy? - Proposals for an inclusive society -". This event will be held at the Council of Europe's Palais de l'Europe in Strasbourg on 21-22 February 2013.
We are very pleased to invite you to take part in this event. The Conference is open to all people interested in the issues raised including public authorities, researchers, NGOs and civil society organizations. Within the limits of available resources, the Council of Europe will be covering travel and/or accommodation expenses for participants.
The Conference aims to analyse these growing phenomens through the prism of Human Rights and Democracy. It will also explore paths for a renewed strategy to fight poverty and inequalities based on Common Goods and the sharing of social responsibilities, whilst avoiding waste. Hundreds of participants from different backgrounds are expected in Strasbourg to :
- Analyze the current situation and identify problems / obstacles to the combat poverty and inequalities (limits of legal and democratic mechanisms to ensure the voices of people living in poverty are taken into account, changes in redistribution policies, etc.);
- Formulate concrete proposals to progress in the fight against poverty, taking into account the need to include the voice of each person, to better utilize and share resources in order to avoid waste and ensure a more equal access to them, in a perspective of well-being for all;
- Exchange and share experiences, knowledge and practices to implement innovative actions to fight against poverty and inequalities, based on the concepts of common goods, shared responsibility and avoiding wasted resources.
Programme
On-line registration
Getting to the Conference
Best Regards,
Social Cohesion Research and Early Warning Division
Council of Europe
Transparency absent in EU budget negotiations
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- Published on Sunday, 02 December 2012 12:30
- Written by Jürgen Schneider
Member States put social cohesion and the future of the EU at risk
Brussels, 23 October 2012 – EAPN calls on the Cypriot Presidency and President Van Rompuy to garner support from Member States for the European Commission’s proposal on the European Social Fund, already supported by the European Parliament. Asked by EAPN to give their position on this proposal, only 3 Member States replied. While all Member States committed to the poverty reduction target and recognised the need for a common EU framework for investment in the fight against poverty and social exclusion, most of them are still likely to flout their commitments by rejecting the European Commission’s proposal.
“If Member States reject the Commission’s proposal to allocate the minimum and necessary share of the EU budget to the European Social Fund and to fighting social exclusion and poverty, they jeopardise both the future of the European Social Fund and its contribution to the EU poverty target” said Sergio Aires, President of EAPN.
“That would be a sign of a total political inconsistency with the commitments taken by national Governments to reduce poverty. This kind of attitude puts at risk not only any possibility of poverty reduction but also social cohesion at its base and the future of the EU. This would be the final road to disaster”, he added.
“Now that there is increasing recognition that austerity measures don’t work and have only resulted in growing and deepening levels of poverty and exclusion, social investment through the right use of EU funds promoting social cohesion is absolutely necessary”, said Fintan Farrell, Director of EAPN.
NGOs involved in the EU Money for Poverty Reduction NOW! Campaign will send a joint letter to the General Affairs Council meeting on 20th November, at which Member States should state their position on the European Commission’s proposal and, consequently, fix the future of the ESF and its potential to deliver on the poverty reduction target. The letter will be accompanied by the Campaign’s petition asking Member States to support the Commission’s proposal.
See:
- Social NGO Campaign: EU Money for Poverty Reduction NOW!
- See the Campaign’s petition here.
- EAPN’s letter to Member States asking for their position on the European Commission’s proposal
Background note
As a follow up to the Social NGO Campaign “EU Money for Poverty Reduction Now”, EAPN wrote to all Member States to ask their position in relation to the European Commission’s proposal, supported by the European Parliament, to allocate at least 25% of the future EU Cohesion Policy’s Budget to the European Social Fund (ESF) with at least 20% of the ESF earmarked for addressing social inclusion and poverty reduction.
Only three Member States (Poland, Ireland and Belgium) responded to this request for transparency. While Belgium indicated that the contribution of the future EU budget to the fight against poverty was crucial without any direct commitments, Poland and Ireland both indicated that they advocated for greater flexibility to allow Member States to determine their own investment priorities.
EAPN has argued the opposite and said that the added value of EU money should reflect a common EU project and should invest money behind the target agreed by EU leaders to reduce the numbers living in poverty in the EU by at least 20 million people by 2020. Without such investment, EU targets become empty words.
Following the strong position of the European Parliament, there is momentum now building behind the Commission’s original proposal.
Final decisions are likely to be taken at the General Affairs Council in November and EAPN is now calling on the Cypriot Presidency and President Van Rompuy to intervene to ensure that the future EU Budget will support the agreed EU poverty reduction target.
The setting of national poverty targets
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- Published on Sunday, 02 December 2012 12:29
- Written by Jürgen Schneider
The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) is an independent network of NGOs and other organisations fighting for a poverty free Europe since 1990. The network currently represents 30 national anti-poverty networks and platforms and 23 European Organisations.
EAPN welcomes the adoption of an EU poverty reduction target backed by national targets as a positive step forward in eradicating poverty and social exclusion within the EU. It is also embedded within the broader Europe 2020 economic strategy which could ensure potential for impact, beyond social policy. However, the targets and set of support indicators are only useful instruments if they are backed by the appropriate policy solutions and funding, and if the overarching approach of the EU 2020 support rather than undermines the objectives. For this reason, EAPN consider it vital that the Common Objectives of the Social OMC underpin the approach to the poverty target and policy delivery in the NRP and Europe 2020, reinforcing core EU social values and objectives and rooted in human rights. The mainstreaming and implementation of the horizontal clause (9) (TFEU) and Charter of Fundamental Rights need to be a key element of this discussion.
13th CONFERENCE SMES-Europa
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- Published on Sunday, 02 December 2012 12:28
- Written by Jürgen Schneider
INVITATION TO PREPARE THE 13th CONFERENCE
SMES-Europa Roma 10-11-12 December 2012
Colleagues and friends,
Twenty years ago, on 10-11-12 December 1992 we organized the 1st European SMES conference in Rome, whose title and theme was: Mentally ill people at risk of homelessness : prevention - rehabilitation - assistance». After 20 years of national and European programs for fighting poverty and health reforms, aimed at the promotion of community mental health systems, we wish to propose an European
Forum in Rome for 10-11-12 December 2012, where we can exchange ideas, experiences and proposals.
We ask: during those twenty years what has changed in a positive or negative way? What's changed about :
ideas and aptitudes - policies and resources - services and practices ? What can and should change?
The declaration of the European Parliament of 22/4/2008 is dramatic : Being homeless is an unacceptable violation of fundamental rights of the person and - considering that they die of cold every winter, people in the EU due to lack of accommodation and emergency services to meet their needs are not sufficient, the European Parliament urges all States to implement all measures necessary to ensure that - by 2015 - will put an end to the phenomenon of homelessness.
Utopia or challenge? The gap between the declarations, good intentions and concrete answers, are increasing.
For this SMES-Europa in proposing this conference in Rome, would like to invite to participate actively especially those
who - in the forefront - are daily confronted with situations of extreme poverty, denial of fundamental rights, abandonment in situations of chronic
This conference will present innovative pilot projects and experiments, which will be discussed and evaluated in order to highlight to policy makers and administrators the priorities of people living in situations of great poverty, discrimination, mental and social precariousness.
Home-less & home-first: the word home exceeds the spatial dimension of shelter and housing, but includes especially dimension of belonging and participation ! We will consider mainly the situation of four categories of vulnerable people, for whom the loss of 'home - belonging' is a cause or consequence of unbearable psychic suffering.
Belong/home-less: when people loses the dimension of belonging, will become invisible or so much dramatically visible!
Home/belong–first: could become the leitmotif of the preparation and realisation of conference, where the visits and exchanges of services and innovative practices, would offer us the inspiration for new ideas and proposals about:
1. Homeless and mental illness: alternatives to institutionalisation of hospitals and of urgence shelters and guarantees of access to community health and social services.
2. Homeless and undocumented migrants: such attention to the invisible wounds (PTSD and other ...), the dispensaries of solidarity are a sustainable and quality alternative to public health services ? How to promote citizenship integration ?
3. Homeless and Minority Roma - Sinti : What alternatives to rejection and marginalization, with specific attention to children, promoting the mutual understanding as an antidote to social discrimination and health.
4. Homeless and elderly people: what kind of alternatives to marginalization of institutional services for older people that favour solitude and inaction And that promote participation and intergenerational solidarity.
Note: The dimensions work and participation cut across all four of these categories.
In conclusion: the project "Home-less & Home-first" could become, in this particularly difficult period for the services that operate in social and health sectors, an opportunity for creative renewal to identify, evaluate and propose - together with European colleagues - alternative and innovative responses appropriate and efficient.
Resignation is an inherent risk in the face of situations that - especially now - seem to get ever worse.
Indignation is not enough, especially when confronted by those who claim increasingly becomes dull,
Get involved , because together we can change, motivated to take up this challenge, both professional and humanistic, and this is what SMES-Europa hopes and aims for 2012.
Luigi Leonori
President of SMES-Europa
SMES-Europa aisbl Place A. Leemans 3 B-1050, Brussels, Tel/fax +32.2.538 58 87, skype: SMES- Europa smeseu@smes -europa.org ; www.smes -europa.org