Islanders are ‘forgotten and abandoned,’ report finds

People in the Highlands and Islands feel “abandoned and forgotten,” a new report into human rights in the area revealed.

Health, housing and hunger were the top priorities of where improvements could be made in the region.

The research was conducted by the Scottish Human Rights Commission, after visiting 20 communities and interviewing 146 people – including a short spell in the isles last year.

The author and project lead for the study, Dr Luis F Yanes said economic, social and cultural rights were an essential part of living a “dignified life,” however, people felt these had been infringed.

“Many people in the Highlands and Islands feel unheard, disenfranchised, abandoned, and forgotten, with their human rights concerns discarded or minimised,” Dr Yanes said.

It was the aim of the report to “enhance the voices” to demonstrate the urgent need to realise the human rights of everyone in the region.

To read more on this story, pick up a copy of Friday’s issue of The Shetland Times.