ABSTRACT
Several human rights (such as adequate housing, adequate food, work, water and sanitation) are affected by access to land. Inequitable land ownership patterns and landlessness give rise to a host of interrelated human rights violations including hunger and inadequate food, inadequate housing, poor health, and extreme poverty. While there is a clear relationship between access to land and the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights, there is no explicit right to land protected in international human rights instruments. However, human rights related to the access, control and ownership of land have been established in the international legal instruments for particular vulnerable groups such as indigenous peoples1 and women.2
