The right to adequate housing following forced evictions in post-conflict Colombo, Sri Lanka

Abstract

We use a new large-scale survey of people evicted from their homes in informal settlements in the city of Colombo. They are forced to move to new purpose-built housing, which is offered to them as partial compensation for the move. The chapter argues that for this housing to be considered ‘adequate’ the move must involve much greater consultation, the financial impacts of the moves must be fully explored, and most significantly, the social context of the uprooted households must be better understood. The broader social network is vital for the successful redevelopment of a sense of community life, and this is where most evicted families are struggling.