Under the new ban written into Hungary’s constitution, homeless people caught living on the streets multiple times over a period of 90 days can face fines, mandatory public work, and even imprisonment. After several warnings, police officers are even allowed to destroy homeless people’s personal belongings.<br /><br />But believe it or not, this isn’t the first time Hungary has enacted this policy – so, how did we get back here?<br /><br />It started in April 2012, when, in the midst of a widespread economic crisis, the Hungarian government began enforcing a law that criminalized homelessness.<br /><br />Unemployment and poverty were on the rise. In a 2010 survey on homelessness, 14% of respondents said they lost their home because they couldn’t pay their rent or other bills.<br /><br />That might not be all that surprising, given what human rights groups say is just one part of a larger slew of human rights violations being committed under the Hungarian government. Under Prime Minister Orban, the government has passed a law making it a crime to help refugees and asylum-seekers, cracked down on independent media, and banned gender studies courses from universities because quote, “people are born either male or female.”<br /><br />The EU says the new homelessness law is one example of why it has voted to sanction Hungary and potentially rescind its EU voting rights.<br /><br /> This video, "Hungary’s Homeless Ban</a>", first appeared on<br /> nowthisnews.com</a>.<br />
