Shack-dwellers’ organisation Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) has witnessed 25 of its members killed since the movement began in 2005, prompting Amnesty International to accuse South African authorities of failing to protect human rights defenders in a new report.
The human rights organisation during a media briefing at Constitution Hill on Wednesday 7 August said its new report details the state’s failure to adequately respond to various forms of harassment, intimidation and violence, including almost complete impunity for perpetrators.
AbM is a movement of more than 150 000 people living in informal settlements in South Africa. For almost two decades, they have advocated for the right to adequate housing, an end to forced evictions, and access to education, water, electricity, sanitation, healthcare and refuse removal. They have also argued for land to be released for public housing, and organised land occupations, marches, mutual aid projects, and other activities.
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