Human Rights and Social Work in a Transforming Society

Abstract

This discussion is addressed to the question of human rights in South Africa. It argues that the profession of social work must continue to champion and shape a human rights discourse in the current democratic order.

Applying a Rights-Based Approach to Social Work Practice in Africa: Students’ Perspectives

“…At a broader level, Healy (2008) advocates that applying a rights-based approach to practice will enable social workers to bridge "local and national issues with global concerns" (p. 745), from where the profession can reorganize itself as a truly global profession in a world of rapid global migration and neoliberal capitalism (Hawkins, 2009;Lundy, 2011;Reichert, 2003;Wetzel, 1998;Wronka & Staub-Bernasconi, 2012). Lastly, a rights-based approach has been construed as being capable to offer social work the opportunity to assume leadership role by becoming the point profession on economic, social, and cultural rights (Dominelli, 2007;Ife, 2008;McPherson, 2014;Noyoo, 2004;Weiss-Gal & Gal, 2009;Yu, 2006).…”

Bienestar social: un objetivo compartido. Sobre la alianza entre los derechos humanos y el trabajo social

“…Así, estas experiencias ilustran el impacto de dichas intervenciones en el bienestar social y en la realización de los objetivos de los derechos humanos, contribuyendo a su promoción, en cuyo marco el trabajo social ha constituido un puente para realizarlos y defenderlos. En dicho contexto, los estudios abordan intervenciones con colectivos históricamente marginados: personas refugiadas, adultas mayores con enfermedad mental o diversidad funcional, afroamericanas, migrantes, niños y jóvenes, minorías étnicas y víctimas de violaciones de derechos humanos, en ámbitos donde el respeto a los derechos humanos es esencial: salud, violencia de género, políticas públicas, penitenciarías y sistema de justicia, residencias, ámbito religioso y espiritual, trabajo con comunidades, y comisiones de reconciliación y verdad (Androff, 2010;Calma y Priday, 2011;Cemlyn, 2006;Critelli, 2010;Fenton, 2013;Hunt, 2004;Jewell, Collins, Gargotto y Dishon, 2009;Mooradian, 2012;Lombard, 2005;Lundy y van Wormer, 2007;Maschi et al, 2014;Nadkarni, 2008;Nelson, Price y Zubrzycki, 2014;Noyoo, 2004;Prasad, 2015).…”

Multicultural social work and national trauma: Lessons from South Africa

“…In a related debate on supervision in social work, Engelbrecht (2006) calls for an approach of ‘cultural friendliness’ to challenge the racial and cultural inequalities of apartheid, which he believes can affect the supervisory relationship in inter-cultural and inter-racial supervision if not adequately addressed. The incorporation of ubuntu into community work (Mnyaka and Motlhabi, 2005) and advancing a culture of human rights – beyond narrow formulations of human rights rooted in Western society to instead address broader social injustices – as an integral part of social work (Noyoo, 2004) resonate similarly with multicultural social work in South Africa. A view linking broadly to the focus of this paper is from Sacco and Hoffmann (2004), who examine the role of social work in relation to the TRC.…”