As part of the commemoration, the WCPO will educate homeless people on their rights and responsibilities. In line with the sustainable development goal of leaving no person behind, the commemoration will empower this vulnerable community of homeless persons with knowledge of their rights, how to access and protect those rights and share important information regarding significant developments around services being offered to homeless persons.

The adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in which the inalienable rights of all human beings was for the first time set out, marked the end of a period of darkness in the history of human beings. The declaration is an agreement between people that the human rights violations seen during the second world war should not happen again. It is significant to the Commission to be celebrating the anniversary of the adoption of this Declaration with a group of persons who actively needs the protections afforded by human rights law, due to their vulnerability.

The WCPO has a long-standing relationship with the community of homeless persons in the Cape Town Central Business District. The WCPO receives and investigates complaints from persons who are currently homeless and has had previous initiatives to familiarise itself with challenges faced by this community. Having noted from its dialogue on homelessness that there appears to be a reluctance to make use of the services offered by shelters, the WCPO engaged role players through its advocacy programme to understand the source of this seeming reluctance. Interpersonal relations between staff and clients of shelters seem to play a large role in this reluctance. In addition to this it was established that concerns around the provision of food may be the result of misperception. The engagement represents an opportunity to empower homeless persons with knowledge to both protect and respect their own rights and the rights of others with whom they engage, and is a result of the relationship building that the WCPO has embarked on with role players in this sector.

In light of the recent Western Cape Provincial Division ruling on the removal of homeless persons from the Green Point Tennis Court area, it is particularly significant that homeless persons be empowered with knowledge of their rights and responsibilities. The relationship with the Haven Night Shelters, built through engagement on the resolution of complaints and lately through the WCPO’s advocacy programme has enabled access to this vulnerable group of persons to ensure that the Commission is able to address the need for empowering the people who need it the most.

The outreach will take place at the Haven Night Shelter situated at 2 Napier Street, Green Point from 10h00 until 12h00 on Monday 18 December 2023.

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For queries contact the Western Cape Provincial Office on 021 426 2277 or Tammy Carter Advocacy and research consultant This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.