Professor Angela O’Hagan

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.

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.

Access to health services:

• In certain areas, sustained cuts to critical health services have been made with significant impacts on the local population.
• There is concern over the lack of locally available health services in certain areas including sexual and reproductive health services, meaning people have to travel great distances to access health services.

Affordable housing:

• A significant number of people are homeless, and some are living in conditions of rooflessness, without shelter or temporary accommodation.
• There is a shortage of affordable housing in rural areas including social housing.
• There are concerns about the ability of most people to heat their homes exacerbated by high energy costs.
• In most areas, the lack of affordable housing was a central reason why young people were not able to return to their local areas after leaving to study or work elsewhere.

Food affordability:

• Food affordability is a crisis issue for many people, relying on food banks due to high costs.
• Poverty forces 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, making it difficult for people to travel to find cheaper alternatives.

Based on the evidence received, and the international human rights obligations applicable to Scotland, the commission makes eight general recommendations.

Professor Angela O’Hagan, 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.”