A/HRC/13/20 According to the London Development Agency, the site did not meet the Government’s Decent Homes Standard.28 4. Impact on informal settlements 24. The situation of people living in informal settlements is of particular concern in the context of preparations for mega-events. As a symbol of poverty and underdevelopment, these buildings are normally seen as ruining the image that the city intends to promote staging the Games. Regarded as unsightly and lacking security of tenure, informal settlements are the first to be demolished when a mega-event is to be staged in a city. The areas where these settlements are located are frequently used either to build sporting venues and accommodation facilities for visitors or to develop new dwellings for local residents. In many cases, informal settlements are displaced to build new infrastructure such as roads, highways and railways, or because they do not fit into the new urban landscape. Local governments usually fail to compensate adequately, or offer alternative adequate housing to, the displaced residents of informal settlements. Entire communities are forced to relocate, generally to the outskirts of the city or to rural areas, where they find no means of subsistence, few employment opportunities or little access to informal markets, and where they find themselves removed from communal ties. Residents of informal settlements often include ethnic minorities, migrants, low-income populations and other disadvantaged groups. 25. Examples of the impact of mega-events in informal settlements include (a) in Dallas, 200 to 300 people were evicted from shanty towns in preparation for the 1994 Football World Cup;29(b) in South Africa, the Elimination and Prevention of Re-Emergence of Slums Act was adopted with a view to eliminate slums and put homeless shack dwellers in transit camps in time for the 2010 World Cup;30 (c) in Rio de Janeiro, the Vila do Autodromo and other several informal settlements are under threat of eviction owing to the construction of venues for the 2016 Olympic Games.31 5. Criminalization of homeless persons and informal activities 26. The situation of homeless people also deteriorates in the context of mega-events. Shortly before the events are staged, some local authorities take measures to remove homeless people from areas exposed to visitors. The homeless are sometimes offered incentives to leave these areas, but in most cases they are subject to forced removal and relocation during the events. Specific legislation is introduced, criminalizing acts such as sleeping in the street and begging. Similarly, street vendors and sex workers are targeted by laws that forbid them to carry out their activities in the city while the event is taking place. There are reported cases in which camps or large facilities have been used to accommodate homeless people and other “unsightly” groups during the duration of an event. In this context, some observers have highlighted a disquieting trend in host cities to introduce a “rationale of exception” in the management of public life in preparation for the event, where restrictions of rights and standards of due process are allowed, if considered necessary, to ensure the realization of the event.32 In addition, as displacement increases and the availability of social housing, informal settlements and temporary residences decreases, the number of homeless persons may grow. 28 29 30 31 32 Information provided by the International Olympic Committee. “Fair play for housing rights”, op. cit., p. 28. “Shack dwellers fight demolition in South Africa court”, www.oneworld.net, 15 May, 2009. “Plano olímpico para Rio-2016 prevê a remoção de favela”, Folha de S.Paulo, 8 October, 2009. “Fair play for housing rights” op. cit. 9