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The Egyptian Center For Housing Rights

ECHR is a non governmental organization specialized in claming for, and defending the right to adequate housing, particularly for the weakest strata of the society. For, it is one of the essential rights that sustain human dignity and security.

  Since the appearing of the housing problem of in Egypt, more than thirty years ago, subsequent governments had failed in solving it, which led to the over-growth of the informal areas phenomenon. This is in addition to other inhumane conditions of housing, such as, inhabiting the grave-yards, huts, boats, garages and stores. All these conditions of housing could not be further from the conditions of adequate housing, and it is indeed humiliating, according to all the definitions of adequate housing acknowledged by all the international principles.

Several reasons collected made it very difficult for the poor strata of the community to have a residence, which consequently lead to a worse condition of the housing problem, such reasons are: the speedy pacing towards Privatization and the decrease of the role of the State in the filed of Public Service. Also, the rapid increase in the real-estate rates and the commercial speculation in the real-estate business specially under the influence of the Law no. 4, 1996, which left the relation between the owner and the tenant unrestricted, "All are bound with the rules of the contract".

 Why ECHR ?
It is a reaction to the existing situation in the Egyptian Community, which lacks for a specialized organization to deal with housing as its essential issue. And work on it on continuous basis rater than ad-hock basis. It is of most importance to have an organization that deals with the Housing Rights as a positive right to be claimed for and not only to be defended.
  • The ECHR's adopted definition of Housing Rights:
    "having adequate privacy, adequate space, adequate safety, adequate electricity, airing and all the essential amenities, adequate distance between the residence and the working place, and having all these factors available for affordable prices".

    Due to all the above mentioned factors, an adequate house is not just four walls anymore, but Adequate Housing, with all the conditions and facilities that makes it a humane and dignified residence.
    On one hand, the right to Adequate Houseing is surely connected with a number of human rights, such as:
    • The right for human dignity.
    • The right of living under the principle of "Non-distinction".
    • The right for an adequate level of living.
    • The right for choosing ones residence.
    • The right of freedom of speech.
    • The right of establishing associations or organizations (for tenants and other groups, who are dependable on the local community).
    • The right for personal safety (in cases of improper, forceful dispossession, or such cases of harassments).
    • The right for refusing to submit to improper intrusion in personal matters, or family matters, or personal correspondences.
    On the other hand, the housing rights could be a base from which a defense of other human rights could be launched. Taking for example; that housing and adequate living conditions are closely connected with the right of living in a clean environment and the right of having maximum levels of physical and mental health.
  • The ECHR's goals and objectives:
      1. Putting an end to all the forced evacuation processes.
      2. Claiming compensations and/or offering alternatives to the people harmed from such the forced evacuation processes.
      3. Arranging campaigns in order to create a public awarness to sustain housing rights.
      4. Establishing a network between all the parties concerned with the housing rights programs.
      5. Working to increase people's awareness (victims) towards their Housing rights.
      6. Claiming for homage for the weakest strata of the community, specially the poor, the children and the disabled.
  • The ECHR activities:
    1. Preparing researches about the situation of the housing problem in Egypt.
    2. Monitoring the housing rights violations and documenting them.
    3. Monitoring the laws and regulations connected with the housing rights and preparing critical studies about them in attempt of affecting the perspective of the Legalizing Authorities.
    4. Receiving the complaints of people suffering from problems connected with housing rights.
    5. Providing legal advice and legal aid to people suffering from problems connected with housing rights through the legal staff of the ECHR and the network of volunteering lawyers co-operating with the ECHR.
    6. Preparing field researches about deprived areas, in co-operation with the concerned technical authorities.
    7. Preparing training courses for the Human Rights activists, specially in the deprived, in attempt to create local activists.
    8. Increase the public awareness in the areas suffering from problems connected with housing rights about the right for adequate housing.
    9. Issuing a bulletin to highlight the most important causes under discussion and connected to the housing rights.
    10. Preparing an annual report on the housing rights in Egypt.
    • 3A Mohamed Hagag ST . from Mohamed Bassiuoni ST .(AbdEmonam Riad Square
    Third Floor , Flat17
    Tel : 5744428 / 5781003 Fax : 5744428
    Email : egypt@echr.org
    تصميم : جمال عيد