The impact of domicide on everyday civilians has been highlighted in the current Russian invasion of Ukraine, as countless news reports have shown Ukrainians mourning the destruction of their homes. This loss can be one of the deepest wounds to one’s sense of self. Not only is the physical structure of the home destroyed, but past memories, a present sense of security and stability, and dreams for the future are also lost.

Domicide is a human rights violation on its own and can be a cooperative process with other crimes like genocide.

The most powerful way of defending the human right to home is to draft and pass a single piece of international law which bans the practice of domicide in all spaces and times, and establishes a clear criminal justice regime for perpetrators who violate the right to home.