NICKY MARR: Human rights is an issue surprisingly close to home
What do you think of when you hear the phrase ‘human rights’?
My mind takes me immediately to the current situation in Gaza. I then think of the women who are imprisoned in Iran for refusing to conform to the strict rules of the totalitarian regime. I also think of the US Supreme Court overturning the 1973 case of Roe v Wade, meaning there is no longer any constitutional right in America to abortion care.
I think in broad terms of freedom from the death penalty and slavery, and rights to enjoy freedom of speech and expression, education, and access to healthcare. And I think of the rights of the LGBTI community to live peacefully and without fear of persecution.
My reality is that I’m a white, straight, educated woman. I enjoy good health, have a means of earning a living, and a roof over my head. So I don’t particularly feel in need of human rights protection for myself.
But just because I’m OK, doesn’t mean I get to stop looking out for others. That’s how a civilised society should work. Those who have, provide a safety net for those who don’t have. Because who knows when we might be the ones in need?
To be honest, I mostly think of human rights abuses as happening “abroad”. That was the reality when I joined Amnesty International as a fresh-faced student in the 80s. But human rights protection is needed at home now too.
I confess I was a little surprised to see that The Scottish Human Rights Commission has just completed a two-month fact-finding mission around the Highlands and Islands to examine how (and whether) people’s economic, social and cultural rights are being met.
Human Rights Lawyer Luis Felipe Yanes travelled to 20 communities, including Thurso and Wick, Dingwall, Ullapool and Portree, Inverness and Elgin, as well as the islands of Orkney, Shetland, and Skye and the Western Isles.
On his travels (by car, ferry, train and on foot), he met people in libraries and Citizens Advice Centres, in social housing, rehab centres, community centres, and on crofts. He spoke to representatives from local media (although, as far as I can gather, not to us!) and met third sector organisations too.
Of his fact-finding mission, Yanes reports, “we gathered incredibly important evidence about what people are actually experiencing in the Highlands and Islands. The evidence includes how people’s rights to housing, food, clothing, water, social security, health, education, culture, among others are being affected.”
The findings are being collated and will be published in spring 2024. I am intrigued to see how well our beautiful, but often neglected corner of Scotland fares against the national picture. Even without this investigation, huge cracks are apparent.
And as I type this, I realise I do so from a position of privilege, and also from a position of not knowing what the solution to local rights abuses might be. But I know this much; a proper fix will require a much greater budget than either Westminster or Holyrood appear to be willing to spend outside the major centres of population.
Our society’s safety net should be catching everyone who is hungry, homeless, sick, and infirm. But gaping holes in that net mean that food banks are struggling to meet increased need, the numbers living in temporary accommodation and fuel poverty are increasing, and hospital waiting lists are growing.
Scottish children are, according to Amnesty International, being “admitted to hospital for illnesses linked to inadequate housing”. The demand for carers for the elderly massively outstrips supply., even in the centres of population. How do more rural areas fare?
As far as healthcare goes, we already know that the answer is “badly”. Ditto economically – we desperately miss European workers, and businesses often can’t source accommodation for the staff that they can attract here.
But will the report offer any workable solutions? We can only wait.
