THE Scottish Human Rights Commission is "very concerned" about the "poor state of economic, social and cultural rights" across the country's Highlands and Islands.
The Commission has uncovered severe challenges for Highland and Island residents accessing their human rights, with people expressing their frustration regarding the difficulties.
The research has been published in a new report titled Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Highlands and Islands.
Critical issues include an apparent failure to meet the most basic international obligations related to the right to health, the right to housing and the right to food.
The Commission has said urgent action is needed to eradicate rooflessness and hunger, and universal access to sexual and reproductive health services must also be prioritised and resourced to meet Scotland’s human rights obligations.
In certain areas, sustained cuts to critical health services have been made with significant impacts on the local population, and there is concern over the lack of locally available health services in certain areas.
The report also found a significant number of people are homeless, and some are living in conditions of rooflessness, without shelter or temporary accommodation.
A shortage of affordable housing in rural areas including social housing and this was found to be a central reason why young people were not able to return to their local areas after leaving to study or work elsewhere.
The Commission found this issue had been exacerbated from the changes following Brexit.
One example from Shetland involved housebuilding projects that had to stop, with contracts and sites shut down, because European contractors and workers, who were readily available in the past, are no longer accessible.
There are also concerns about the ability of most people to heat their homes exacerbated by high energy costs.
Poverty was found to force individuals to prioritise fuel over food. This is a direct consequence of the need to travel for work and healthcare, as well as the high cost of heating homes.
A lack of public transport in some areas further compounds the problem the report claims, making it difficult for people to travel to find cheaper alternatives.
Climate change was found to also more frequently impacting food deliveries. For example, mainland regions such as Sutherland and Caithness, where adverse weather cut off communities from the rest of the country, are prevented in receiving food deliveries.
The report stated: "While unpredictable conditions may not always be avoidable, there seems to be a lack of readiness or measures in place to prevent food shortages during such events.
"Concerns were also raised about how supermarkets in remote and rural areas are stocked. Many feel there is a lack of understanding of what a remote supermarket should look like, with the type of food stocked often not meeting the community’s needs.
"The small size of these shops, often limited to 'convenience stores', exacerbates shortages during adverse weather."
A food bank staff member was quoted in the report, stating: "Their systems are always set as convenience stores, as if they were in the middle of a city. They don’t know what a rural supermarket should look like."
A particular concern was the lack of access to specific food items, such as baby formula, which foodbanks are not permitted to provide due to health and safety regulations.
The Commission piloted an innovative new human rights monitoring model by visiting 20 communities across the region and interviewing a total of 146 people.
Based on the evidence received, and the international human rights obligations applicable to Scotland, the Commission makes eight general recommendations at the end of the report.
Professor Angela O’Hagan (above), chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, said: “The Commission is very concerned about the poor state of economic, social and cultural rights in the Highlands and Islands.
“Too many people in Highland and Islands are hungry, homeless, without access to healthcare, and the basics for everyday life.
“With this work, we are piloting a new way of monitoring, one that brings the Commission closer to communities and enhances their voices and struggles.
“While we continue to develop this way of working, we expect that all duty-bearers will reflect carefully on the evidence found in this report, and the action now required from them to meet their human rights obligations.”
Dr Luis F Yanes, project lead and report author, added: “Economic, social and cultural rights are essential for people living a dignified life, free from fear and want.
“Many people in the Highlands and Islands feel unheard, disenfranchised, abandoned, and forgotten, with their human rights concerns discarded or minimised.
“This report enhances the voices of those living in the Highlands and Islands, demonstrating that urgent action is needed to realise these human rights for many people across the region.”
