15
New report by Land Center for Human Rights
Effect of farm lease act on housing conditions
The center issues its report no 15 “land and farmer series” that deals with effects of law no 96 for 1992 on housing conditions in the Egyptian countryside. The report shows that although dwellers in the countryside represent 57% from Egypt dwellers, housing problem is usually considered as an urban problem. On the other hand, in 1996 there are more than two millions rural families that have no independent house. If we review this problem through following years, we will discover that in 1986, there are only one million that have no independent house while in 1976, they are 180 thousands. According to these surveys, we can predict that through 2006, these numbers will be doubled for fourteen times.
This problem grows sharper especially after implementation of law no 96 for 1992 that in 1997, a lot of rural inhabitants especially tenants are evicted from their houses that are attached to farms. On the other hand, they don’t receive alternative houses that reveals that housing problem in the rural community becomes more complicated than its conditions in the previous decades that leads to more violence.
The report through its first part discusses the relation between the right of housing and other rights, which are emphasized by the international charters of human rights. These charters assert the importance of applying the legal protection for right of adequate house, which is considered as the most important human need. Then the report shows the elements of this right according to United Nations criterions like legal safety of possession and ability of bearing its cost. After that it reviews effects of law no 96 for 1992 on these elements.
About legal safety of possession, the report shows a lot of violations that are occurred through implementation of the law although the law itself emphasizes the necessity of existence of alternative houses in the case of eviction. But through law implementation, some disputes concerning land possession appeared although those farmers enjoyed with safe possession of these houses since 1952. These disputes are between individuals and some institutions like Agricultural Reform and ministry of Awaf. For example, in Ezba El-Hamraa, Monofia governate, there is more than 100 family that are threatened with vagrancy although they rent the land where they build their houses for seventy years. Those families are surprised that lands’ heritors filed lawsuits no 1285 for 1998 in Shebien El-Kom court in order to evict them from their houses relaying on law no 96 for 1992. The same thing is repeated in Bakery village, Kaliobia governate where 400 families may be evicted from their houses after they live about fifty years in it.
About ability to bear life expenses, we can observe that from 1970 to 1991 the farmers’ incomes have increased with about 90% but the high life expenses swallow that increase for example the annual rent for one feden increases with 500% especially after implementation of farm lease act. Moreover, after law implementation, farmers have no credit that affects negatively on their life.
Uncle Ibrahem Abdel Daiem says to center’s researcher “I have been surprised in February when employees of the local council breaks my house. When we ask them about their strange action, they tell us that the land where the house is built on is governmental land. Consequently, I choke because I have bought the land with primary contract from the original owner since 1979. Moreover, I supplied water in 1992 and electricity in1977. Then we are surprised with sentences that are issued against us”.
The report connects housing problem in the Egyptian countryside with law no 96 for 1992 that it points to the environmental wastage that increases after applying the law. For example, from 1996 to 2001, there are numerous violations concerning 29312 fedens. Moreover, strengthening sanctions don’t prevent these violations. If we deepen our vision around these circumstances, we will predict the pressure on the agricultural patch that will be existed in the future.
The fourth part points to some results like increasing of average of forced and administrational eviction in addition to the environmental wastage. Finally, the report ends with some recommendations like saving the governmental loans for villages that are expeller for its dwellers that are surrounded with desert or wastelands in order to support building and planning movement in addition to stopping dwellers’ eviction and farmers’ imprisonment. Moreover, it will better if the government saves suitable alternative houses for those, who live in attached houses. The center calls the officials and local leaders to achieve human right in housing and execute the mentioned recommendations in order to protect farmers’ right and protect their families from vagrancy.