Discriminatory denials of access to food and water

Since the mid-1990s, hundreds of thousands of North Koreans have died from famine, as a result of the military dictatorship’s discriminatory distribution of food aid and restrictions on the freedom of movement.

Denying populations access to the necessities of life threatens their safety, health, and survival in very fundamental ways. This social crime would punish individuals for the most serious violations of the rights to life, food, and water, which are guaranteed in article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Read a report from Amnesty International on the North Korean government’s violations of its people’s right to food.

Do more

Support these organisations in the fight against serious violations of the rights to water and food:

Amnesty International’s Demand Dignity Campaign
The Demand Dignity Campaign seeks to end the injustice and exclusion that keeps people trapped in poverty and deprivation.
www.amnesty.org/en/demand-dignity

Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions
The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions is the leading international human rights organisation campaigning for the protection of housing rights, including the right to water.
www.cohre.org

Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations helps developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all.
www.fao.org