Evictions from housing concern the poorest section of society and constitute one of the most grievous violations of housing rights. When evictions occur, not only is the right to housing compromised, but so also are various other rights, including the right to freedom of movement, the right to privacy, the right to livelihood and the right to life itself. Deaths directly attributable to eviction are not uncommon. When the right to housing is not fully satisfied, many civil and political rights are also unattainable, such as the right to vote which often can only be exercised if a person has a recognized address.
Fact-finding missions of Habitat International Coalition reveal that evictions affect well over 100,000 persons throughout the world every year.