SOCIAL WORK AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Social workers by very definition are human rights workers. Social workers help individuals realise their rights every day and are ideally placed to help communities claim their collective rights. Social workers can move towards more empowering, rights based practice that develops individual and community capacity. capacity. Advocacy: In terms of social work practice, realising first generation rights means advocacy either on behalf of individuals or disadvantaged groups. Social workers working in advocacy might be involved in the protection of civil and political rights through advocacy groups, refugee action groups or prisoner reform. In relation to social work practice with Indigenous people. Improves social relatio: it is concerned with the 'social': to improving social relations between people. Doctors deal with illness, lawyers with crime and individual injustices, teachers teach their pupils: social work uniuely sets out to improve relationships between people individually and collectively. collectively. !eachers !eachers or counsellors might help a child think through their worries, but it is social workers who visit the house, sit down and join with other members of the family to help sort out home problems. C!ild a"#se: social workers should intervene with an abused child, or a violent mentally ill man, or an isolated disabled or elderly person without family support just shows how useful it is to have a profession around around prepared to have a go at helping to sort things out. Removal o$ social i%#stice : Social workers relentlessly work towards ending various form of social injustice such as discrimination, oppression and poverty through a coordinated effort that includes consultation, administration, policy, policy, advocacy, advocacy, social and political action, policy development and implementation, education, research and evaluation. protecti& a"#sed or e'ploited : the protection of people who may be abused or e"ploited are often referred to social workers by members of the community or society in which they live and this is an area of great dilemma and contention #
whether we take too much action or not enough, whether we protect and safeguard or whether we neglect our duties to protect. Social workers in this situation are often faced with the issue of competing needs, risk and rights from different people in the family or community situation, which complicates the task of working within a human rights framework. !here are three levels of abuse and e"ploitation and the social worker needs to be aware of each level when first encountering a case of abuse or e"ploitation. $. %ithin the family or household in which an individual lives there may be power and control being e"ercised by another person or group of people behind closed doors. &. In a close knit community or institution where there is poor supervision and support of staff there may be abuse or harm being caused to vulnerable people within that group . !rafficking of people, slavery, work gangs and other types of e"ploitation may be operated by organi(ed criminals on a large scale A(areess ad ed#catio: !eaching about social work values and ethics has long been fundamental to social work education and practice. )lthough human rights have not received as much attention, its importance in social work education cannot be underestimated. *uman rights principles, laws and perspectives can be added to social work curricula to enhance the teaching of values and practice.
!he social work educator can serve as an important role model for ethical behavior and can cultivate a human rights culture in society. !he most effective method of teaching ethics and human rights involves integrating ethics and human rights content into all courses, as well as offering separate courses on these topics )olicy ma*i&+ social workers can help to formulate policies whose aim is to protect and promote human rights
