Legal Empowerment in Informal Settlements: Grassroots Experiences in the Global South

— —

Adrian Di Giovanni Luciana Bercovich

Legal Empowerment in Informal Settlements

Grassroots Experiences in the Global South

Adrian Di Giovanni, Luciana Bercovich

$305

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

Routledge
22 May 2025

Development studies; Homelessness; International human rights law; Housing law; Social law

This book investigates grassroots, community-led justice strategies – known as legal empowerment – being used to promote the human rights of people living in informal settlements in the Global South.

Residents of informal settlements, also known as slums or favelas, encounter a complex array of human rights violations; from systemic discrimination by public officials, to threats to physical security from forced evictions, or arbitrary arrests, to a lack of access to basic services such as housing, water, sanitation, and education. This book shows how grassroots justice organizations around the world are working with residents to defend their rights and secure more dignified living conditions. Drawing on original empirical research across 10 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the book demonstrates how legal empowerment can put residents at the centre of holistic approaches to urban development and confront exclusionary and undemocratic systems of governance. The book encompasses practical recommendations and strategies such as rights-based approaches to informality, participation, community mobilization and litigation.

Bridging the gaps between the law on the books and the harsh realities of informality on the ground, this book will be an important read for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, working in realms of social and economic rights, access to justice and urban poverty and development.

Edited by: Adrian Di Giovanni, Luciana Bercovich
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781032886374
ISBN 10: 1032886374
Pages: 276
Publication Date: 22 May 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Adrian Di Giovanni is the Team Leader for Democratic and Inclusive Governance at Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), where has worked since 2011. In his prior role at IDRC, he spearheaded a stream of research on law and development, focusing on public law, human rights and legal empowerment. Past roles have included Counsel for the Department of Justice Canada’s Human Rights Law Section, and the World Bank’s Legal Vice-Presidency. Adrian holds an LLM in international law from New York University and a JD from the University of Toronto. He occasionally teaches at Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and has worked previously in Uganda and Tanzania. A proud dad of two boys who, on occasion, liked to sit on his lap at the computer well past their bedtimes, while he worked away on contributions to this volume. Luciana Bercovich is a human rights lawyer and activist from Argentina; she has been working on access to justice and social rights for more than twenty years. Currently, she is leading the agenda of the Grassroots Justice Network (convened by Namati) in Latin America. Previously, she was Co-Director of ACIJ – Civil Association for Equality and Justice in Argentina. She has a Law degree from Universidad de Buenos Aires, a master's degree in Urban and Regional Development from Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC), and a MS `in International Affairs and Development from the New School. She has authored books, papers, and op-eds about social rights, housing, and access to justice.