In an interview with the Reuters news agency, Miloon Kothari spoke of his impressions following his visit to Iran, including the Ahwazi homeland in the province of Khuzestan. He identified three groups facing discrimination regarding housing and land rights in Iran: ethnic and religious minorities, Nomadic groups and women.
Access to adequate housing in Iran is fraught with difficulties. Iran is riddled with earthquake fault lines and prone to severe droughts. The burgeoning population, coupled with massive population migration from rural to urban areas has resulted in a surge in demand for housing. M. Kothari spent 12 days in Iran and his mandate included the examination of issues related to the rights of ethnic minorities, women, property evictions and land tenure.
M. Kothari calls for increased focus on the housing rights of the ethnic and religious minorities and women’s equal rights to land and housing
In the process of rebuilding the lives and homes of people in Bam, it is vital that the immediate humanitarian needs be complemented by planning efforts to ensure that the human rights and sustainable development agenda is established to ensure a safe future for the people of Bam.
