Economic, social & cultural rights in the Highlands & Islands

Why we are spotlighting this issue

In the last few years, the Commission has become increasingly concerned about economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights in the Highlands and Islands. ESC rights are necessary to live a life free from fear and want, examples include:

The right to housing

The right to food

The right to health

The right to social security

 

We have been particularly concerned about the lack of available data for monitoring in the Highlands and Islands, when compared with the rest of Scotland. By listening to the lived experiences of residents and organisations in the area, as well as through our human rights treaty monitoring work, we identified specific issues affecting rural and island communities, such as:

  • Slow and inaccessible health care services
  • Lack of affordable housing
  • Limited access to sufficient and nutritious food
  • Poverty related gaps in education
  • Limited access to technology and poor internet connectivity
  • Fuel poverty

What the project will do

This project is a step toward filling the gaps in human rights data and making sure that rural and island communities have their economic, social, and cultural rights met.

We aim to bear witness to the lived experiences of people and communities across the Highlands and Islands, to raise awareness of human rights issues in these areas with decision-makers and to highlight the need for a geographically-specific approach to Scottish law and policy.

This project will also pilot the Commission's new monitoring model for economic, social and cultural rights that aims to directly engage with communities across the country and witness the issues first-hand, all with a view to scaling this up to include other areas.

What we have done so far

An essential part of this project was for the Commission to go to the Highlands and Islands and to hear first-hand from human rights defenders on the ground about the issues facing their communities.

In late 2023, Project Lead Dr Luis F Yanes and various members of the Commission team undertook a six week fact-finding trip to the Highlands and Islands, visiting more than twenty towns across six local authorities.

We were approached by a huge number human rights defenders who were concerned about economic, social and cultural rights in their areas. We met with hundreds of people, including representatives from local community groups and charities, and decision-makers.

We are very grateful to everyone who met with us during this trip. We gained valuable insight into the challenges facing rural and island communities and how these issues are impacting economic, social and cultural rights.

What we will do next

We are now compiling a report for the Scottish Parliament, using what we learned from our fact-finding visits, as well as information gathered through our own research.  

We will publish the findings on 27th November 2024 and we will return to the Highlands and Islands to share the findings with the communities that helped to shape the project.

Find out more

For media enquiries about this project, please contact media@scottishhumanrights.com

For further information, contact us on hello@scottishhumanrights.com