COHRE established its Women and Housing Rights Initiative (WHRI) in 1998 to expose the universal denial of women’s right to housing and to begin to ameliorate the situation for women. Grounding its work in principles and norms established under international human rights law, the WHRI now seeks to develop its scope to more effectively address and champion the right to adequate housing for women through a participatory and holistic programme of activities. 

The WHRI believes strongly that one does not empower women by working for them; one should work with them, for women are clearly the best champions for their own rights. Since its inception over a decade ago, the WHRIhas successfully worked with its global partners -- engaging at national, regional and internationals levels -- to ensure that international standards human rights standards protect women’s human rights. It has carried out innovative research and released creative publications that have been influential in both policy and legal circles. It has also successfully worked with grassroots women throughout the world to highlight women’s housing situations and has carried out dozens of trainings throughout the world promoting women’s housing rights. 

The WHRI understands that the denial of women’s housing rights is a core element of women’s continued subordination and cycles of poverty, and that women's equality cannot be achieved if women continue to experience housing insecurity. Working towards women’s realisation of the right to housing is absolutely essential to women’s attainment of a higher standard of living within communities throughout the world, and to ending the universal legacy of gender inequality and discrimination against women. 

To see some of COHRE's reports on women and housing rights, please visit our Library. 

For more information about the WHRI, please contact: 

COHRE Women’s Housing Rights Initiative
Mayra Gomez, Senior Expert
Email: women@cohre.org