Hartz IV gegen internationale Menschenrechte
Die Habitat International Coalition (HIC) hat gegenüber Minister Clement ihre Besorgnis wegen der Hartz IV Reform ausgedrückt. Die weltweite Organisation befürchtet eine Zunahme von Obdachlosigkeit als Folge der Reform. Sie sieht in der Reform eine Verletzung des Rechts auf Wohnen, wie es im Internationalen Pakt über soziale, wirtschaftliche und kulturelle Rechte vereinbart wurde. Diese internationale Menschenrechtsvereinbarung wurde von der Bundesrepublik 1973 unterzeichnet. HIC bittet die Bundesregierung die Reformen zu überprüfen.
Grüße Knut Unger, MieterInnenverein Witten, 02302-276171
Hartz IV reform
Federal Minister
Wolfgang Clement
(Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour)
E-mail: info@bmwa.bund.de <mailto:info@bmwa.bund.de>
Mexico City, 7 of July 2004
Excellency,
Having received from social organizations based in Germany, fellow members of Habitat International Coalition (HIC), some alarming news about the recent reform of labour market, we would like to take the opportunity to underline some aspects of the newly implemented Hartz IV reform which can turn out to be a thread to the fulfilment of fundamental housing rights.
With the future housing costs support cut, a large number of the 5 million unemployed people in your country may be unable to cope with their rents, especially in urban areas where houses and flat prices are far too expensive. As a consequence, soon many of these citizens will fall in debt regarding their rent obligations and they may face eviction if the dept is over two months rent. Thus there is a real risk for homelessness to increase as a consequence of this process or, at least, of developing a new type of segregation with the concentration of the unemployed population in the cheapest suburbs. This critical situation deserves our greatest concern.
Our Coalition, which is made up by nearly 500 organisations from 80 countries and counts with a consultative status at the United Nations, works for the recognition, the defence and the fulfilment of housing rights. Basing our opinion on the international legal sources of human rights, we consider the Hartz IV reform as a violation of the human right to an adequate housing recognised on article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) ratified by Germany in 1973. The ICESCR also obliges States not to take regressive measures (article 2) as the Hartz IV reform is in terms of housing rights.
In this perspective and with all respect, we send you this letter to bring to your consideration the need to revise the Hartz IV reform on the perspective of international housing rights and to preserve the high quality of the German social welfare.
Respectfully,
Enrique Ortiz Flores
President of Habitat International Coalition
Coalición Internacional para el Hábitat
Oficina Regional para América Latina (HIC-AL)
Habitat International Coalition
Latin America Regional Office (HIC-AL)
Tacuba # 53, 1er piso, Col. Centro
06000 Mexico D.F.
MEXICO
Tel: +52 55 55 12 15 86
Tel: + 52 55 55 12 67 26
Fax: +52 55 55 12 38 42
E-mail: chm@laneta.apc.org
Web: http://www.hic-al.org
Grüße Knut Unger, MieterInnenverein Witten, 02302-276171
Hartz IV reform
Federal Minister
Wolfgang Clement
(Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour)
E-mail: info@bmwa.bund.de <mailto:info@bmwa.bund.de>
Mexico City, 7 of July 2004
Excellency,
Having received from social organizations based in Germany, fellow members of Habitat International Coalition (HIC), some alarming news about the recent reform of labour market, we would like to take the opportunity to underline some aspects of the newly implemented Hartz IV reform which can turn out to be a thread to the fulfilment of fundamental housing rights.
With the future housing costs support cut, a large number of the 5 million unemployed people in your country may be unable to cope with their rents, especially in urban areas where houses and flat prices are far too expensive. As a consequence, soon many of these citizens will fall in debt regarding their rent obligations and they may face eviction if the dept is over two months rent. Thus there is a real risk for homelessness to increase as a consequence of this process or, at least, of developing a new type of segregation with the concentration of the unemployed population in the cheapest suburbs. This critical situation deserves our greatest concern.
Our Coalition, which is made up by nearly 500 organisations from 80 countries and counts with a consultative status at the United Nations, works for the recognition, the defence and the fulfilment of housing rights. Basing our opinion on the international legal sources of human rights, we consider the Hartz IV reform as a violation of the human right to an adequate housing recognised on article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) ratified by Germany in 1973. The ICESCR also obliges States not to take regressive measures (article 2) as the Hartz IV reform is in terms of housing rights.
In this perspective and with all respect, we send you this letter to bring to your consideration the need to revise the Hartz IV reform on the perspective of international housing rights and to preserve the high quality of the German social welfare.
Respectfully,
Enrique Ortiz Flores
President of Habitat International Coalition
Coalición Internacional para el Hábitat
Oficina Regional para América Latina (HIC-AL)
Habitat International Coalition
Latin America Regional Office (HIC-AL)
Tacuba # 53, 1er piso, Col. Centro
06000 Mexico D.F.
MEXICO
Tel: +52 55 55 12 15 86
Tel: + 52 55 55 12 67 26
Fax: +52 55 55 12 38 42
E-mail: chm@laneta.apc.org
Web: http://www.hic-al.org
Starmail - 8. Jul, 17:44
