The Scottish Human Rights Commission has launched a project to find out how human rights are being experienced across the Highlands and Islands, and is seeking views in the Outer Hebrides, Skye, and Argyll and Bute this month.
The commission’s executive director, Jan Savage, said: “We are focusing on economic, social and cultural rights, which includes how the government provides essential services to people for things like housing, health, education, culture and environmental rights.
“We have been approached by members of communities in the Highlands and Islands who are concerned about lack of affordable housing, high levels of food insecurity and difficulties in accessing medical services in rural areas.
“Through our treaty monitoring work to the United Nations, we have found that there is a lack of information and available data, specific to the Highlands and Islands, in comparison to the rest of Scotland.
“As part of our monitoring role on human rights, we will be researching this situation further and establishing if public authorities are doing enough to provide essential services and support for people in rural areas to access their economic, social and cultural rights.”
In March 2023, the Commission delivered a report to the United Nations in Geneva on how economic, social and cultural rights are being experienced in Scotland.
It highlighted the following issues of particular human rights concern in rural areas of Scotland: lack of affordable and quality housing, limited access to sufficient and nutritious food, inaccessible health care services, fuel poverty, access to technology or poor internet connectivity, poverty related attainment gap in education, transport connectivity to essential public services and supplies.
The commission has therefore taken the decision to take a deeper look at these potential human rights denials to understand more about how economic, social and cultural rights are being experienced in the Highlands and Islands.
The project will involve four stages, including fact-finding visits, speaking to third sector organisations, community representatives and local MSPs’ caseworks.
The commission will be collecting new data and meeting with third sector organisations, community representatives and MSPs in Tarbert, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, on November 7, Ullapool on November 8, Portree on Skye on November 9, and in Dunoon, Argyll and Bute, on November 13-14.
The commission would like to speak to voluntary organisations and community representatives who are interested in sharing information about concerns affecting people’s rights in the area. Please contact them about this project by emailing research@scottishhumanrights.com.