Concerns about Human Rights for people living in Scotland’s rural areas.
The Scottish Human Right Commission published a report on challenges for accessing nine human rights like food and health in rural areas across Scotland this morning.
The commission discovered that most areas in the Highlands and Islands don’t meet minimum core obligations on food and housing rights.
Project Leader Dr. Luis Felipe Yanes said: “Minimum core obligations have to be met at all times in all circumstances, regardless of the conditions, regardless of the financial resources.”
He added: “From all nine rights, there is no service or policy that currently meets all the conditions in international law in relation to adequacy.”
Yanes’ team started their research thirteen months ago as they wanted to understand issues affecting rural areas.
Based on the Scottish Commission for Human Rights Act they discovered that there are major issues around all 20 locations they’ve visited in the Highlands.
But “in relation to sexual reproductive health, Caithness and Sutherland is clearly identified as of a very critical concern.”
“In relation to housing and food, which were the other identified minimum core that’s across the region and in relation to culture, I would say that is mostly prevalent in relation to Sutherland and Rose as well,” Yanes added.
Areas like Sutherland are often cut off by weather from food deliveries leaving 40 percent of working families rely on food support service.
The area is also an example of not offering enough sexual and reproductive health services – women have to travel to Inverness for treatment.
However, the commission recommends strengthening the infrastructure in all constituencies. MSPs should support the areas through listening to Communities and more flexible policies.
With a week to go to until First Minister Swinney presents the Scottish budget, Yanes said: “We’ve identified where the evidence says these are the most critical needs. So we would hope the budget responds to the allocation of those needs and we expect to see that now.”
“It will be up to next week where we can really see if that will be the case.”