October 15, 2018:
On Monday, a 'Homelessness Law' has been adopted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Government that bans rough sleeping.
Critics come into force & call it “cruel.”
Constitutional amendment approved by the Budapest Parliament on June 20 banned “habitual residence in a public space”, strengthening a 2013 law that made it a 'fineable offence'.
The Police has now empowered to remove rough sleepers from streets and dismantle huts & shacks.
A Government Official on Thursday said that the law “serves the interests of society as a whole”.
Attila Fulop, Social Affairs State Secretary told reporters that the goal is “to ensure that homeless people are not on the streets at night-time and that citizens can make use of public space unimpeded.”
An estimated 11,000 places exist in state-run shelters but experts say at least 20,000 people are homeless nationwide.
The Government says it is increasing funding for homeless provision but International Organisations & Rights Groups at home have condemned the new law.
In June, UN housing expert Leilani Farha called it “cruel and incompatible with international human rights law”.
Farha wrote in an open letter to the Government, “What is this ‘crime’ (homeless people) have committed? Merely trying to survive?”
Last month, the European Parliament voted to launch legal action against Budapest after an MEP’s report said that Hungary’s treatment of its homeless contributed to a “clear risk of a serious breach” of EU values.
Source: The Statesman
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