In times of the Covid-19 pandemic, the right to housing is becoming one of the most urgent social issues in Brazil and the world. Individuals, families and communities struggle daily for this fundamental right. Social movements are mobilising to strengthen the demands of tenants on rent strike, street people, rural occupations and urban squats as well as indigenous and traditional communities. In the sphere of institutional policy, little has been done to alleviate the consequences of the pandemic on access to dignified and secure housing. Even the ban on evictions during the pandemic was vetoed by president Bolsonaro. This caused concern even at the UN, which produced a report published on July 9, 2020 claiming recent evictions in Brazil human rights abuses. For a reflection on rent strikes throughout history and the strategic moment we are living now, read also this text from Editorial Segadores and Col·lectiu Bauma.
This map gives visibility to the struggles for the right to housing in times of Covid-19 and provides useful information to those threatened by the increased housing precarity that this crisis has led to. The objective is also to support movements to promote actions for the right to housing in Brazil. Anyone can contribute to the map and visualize actions for the right to housing by simply answering this form!
If you do not yet participate in an organized movement, but have decided to suspend or negotiate a reduction of your rent, you are, indeed, part of a global struggle! Describe your case on the map “Covid-19” to show other tenants that it is possible to fight for housing in times of pandemic. We encourage everyone to use the Tor browser to submit data and navigate our map. For more information, check our privacy policy.
The map is the result of a collaboration between different groups and individuals working in collectives that engage in housing struggles, popular education and social research. The map is also based on the work done by the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project and the Not-an-Atlas. Public data from our map are also displayed on the global map with which we collaborate: “COVID-19 Housing Protection Legislation & Housing Justice Action”.
