A/HRC/31/54 all the information and guidance received. The Special Rapporteur is also appreciative of the important work done on this topic by her predecessor, Miloon Kothari. II. Towards a human rights definition of homelessness What does “homelessness” mean? A. 7. The word “homelessness” in English does not always have an equivalent translation in other languages. In English, “homelessness” suggests both a lack of physical housing and a loss of a sense of social belonging. In some other languages, the closest word to homelessness would be “rooflessness”, lacking shelter or transience. In French, homelessness is referred to as either “sans domicile fixe” or “sans-abrisme”. In Spanish, homelessness is referred to as “sin hogar” or “sin techo” or “en situación de calle” or “poblaciones callejeras”. 8. Definitions of homelessness adopted by international agencies, governments, researchers or civil society vary widely, depending on language, socioeconomic conditions, cultural norms, the groups affected and the purpose for which homelessness is being defined. It is generally agreed, however, that the experience of homelessness around the world is not fully captured without a richer definition that goes beyond reference to deprivation of physical shelter. 9. The definition of homelessness is often based on where individuals live or sleep, for instance, those who sleep “rough”, in emergency shelters or in institutions, such as prisons or psychiatric institutions. While definitions on the basis of location have the advantage of being less ambiguous, they tend to distort perceptions of who is homeless. Single men will live on the streets or in shelters, for example, while women with children will seek other options, such as with family or friends, to avoid the severe repercussions associated with street life, including violence and child apprehension. 10. Homelessness has also been defined with reference to what is lacking. The Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations has defined “primary homelessness” as persons living without a shelter or living quarters and “secondary homelessness” as including persons with no place of usual residence. In some contexts, homelessness is understood as a lack of access to land as well as to shelter. In rural Bangladesh, for example, homelessness is assessed on the basis of whether a household has a regularized plot of land as well a roof overhead.4 Other definitions focus on being deprived of a certain minimum quality of housing. The Institute of Global Homelessness has proposed as a global definition: “lacking access to minimally adequate housing”, while listing various categories of living situations that fall within this general definition. 11. However, many people living in informal settlements and lacking basic services are certainly deprived of minimally adequate housing yet they have worked hard to establish and build homes and, importantly, would not self-identify as homeless. It would, therefore, be inappropriate to define the more than 1 billion people worldwide estimated to be living in informal settlements as homeless, even though their needs are critical and must also be addressed as a priority. Within informal settlements there are, however, residents who have established temporary accommodation because they have no other options who are living in 4 4 See G. Tipple and S. Speak, “Definitions of homelessness in developing countries”, Habitat International, 29 (2005), p. 342. See also the report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living (E/CN.4/2005/48).