Human rights commission returns
Kevin Craigens
The Scottish Human Rights Commission has returned to the isles to share its findings from a report published last year as it tours around the Highlands and Islands.
Dr Luis Felipe Yanes, the author of the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Highlands and Islands, will present his findings to members of the public today (Monday) at the Shetland Museum and Archives.
He will also meet with representatives of the Shetland Islands Council and Hjaltland Housing Association to discuss the next stages of the report over the next few days before attending his next event in Kirkwall on Thursday.
Professor Angela O’Hagan, chairwoman of the commission, said her organisation was concerned about the “poor state” of economic, social and cultural rights in the region and it had a “general duty to take action” to promote human rights across the country.
“Too many people are hungry, homeless, without access to healthcare, and the basics for everyday life,” Prof O’Hagan said.
“With our report… we piloted a new way of monitoring, one that brings the commission closer to communities and is informed by their voices and experiences.”
The report, published in November, found people in the Highlands and Islands felt “abandoned and forgotten” by national government with a Central Belt focus.
Health, housing and hunger were the top priorities of where improvements could be made in the region, the study said.
The research was conducted by the commission, after visiting 20 communities and interviewing 146 people – including a short spell in the isles in 2023.
At the time, Dr Yanes said economic, social and cultural rights were an essential part of living a “dignified life,” however, people felt these had been infringed.
Read more in the next edition of The Shetland Times available in shops on Friday.
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