Social Work and Human Rights – A View from the South
Rosemary A. Barbera
For many in Latin America, “the practice of social work is committed to the values that define how we live together: solidarity, justice, and freedom” (Sánchez, 1989, p. 20).These values are communal values and not liberal individualistic values that are more pervasive in the United States. These values express the commitment to work together collectively, in partnerships, to create the conditions in which the human rights of all human beings are respected. Included are civil, political, economic, cultural, social, and collective human rights. These rights reflect the multi-faceted nature of human life and together, if respected, would ensure that all humans had a standard of living that met basic needs and promoted dignity and health.
At the very core of social work is a commitment to the dignity of all humans as well as a commitment to improving the life conditions of the most exploited and vulnerable groups and persons in society. In this way, social workers work towards the attainment of the human rights of all persons as human “rights are intimately linked to the idea of ‘quality of life’” (Cáceres, 2000, p. 19) and improving the quality of life of people is a primary social work concern. The relationship between human rights and the practice of social work is a close one (Eroles, 1997) which calls on social workers to be active in the construction of a new society based on human rights and where the needs of all are met with dignity. In order to engage in activities toward this end, social workers must deliberately study human rights so that they are familiar with them and are able to apply them in practice (Sánchez, 1989, p. 19). But, it is not enough to only have knowledge of and a commitment to human rights. As Eroles (1997) states: “It is not enough for social workers to speak the language of human rights and democracy; before they can even engage in social service work, they have to have in their hearts the conviction that all human beings are worthy” (p. 19). The supposes two things: one, that social workers are committed to relationships based upon democracy and partnerships and not on hierarchical relationships of “professional” and “client”; and, two, that social workers know how to put human rights into practice in their ongoing practice. The continued emphasis on the professionalization of social work has led social workers away from a practice that is democratic and perpetuates a society based upon categories of worthy and unworthy an second order blaming. Even the use of the terms “client” and “consumer” stresses the differences between the social worker and the person in client status rather than focusing upon their common humanity and a commitment to attaining the common good in a democratic manner, as social work pioneer Bertha Capen Reynolds (1963) enjoined early social workers in the United States.
Further, social work’s commitment to the most vulnerable is clearly in concert with practicing social work from a human rights perspective.
Social work from a human rights perspective helps us attain the very basis of our professional principles: the preoccupation for serving, for being useful, more than anything, to the weakest members of society; to intervene specifically confronting social problems until we are able to assure that the necessary conditions which guarantee that all basic necessities are met. (Sánchez, 1989, p. 21)
Therefore, a commitment to the most vulnerable of society necessitates action that ensures that the human rights of these vulnerable persons are respected. This implies, therefore, a commitment to a social work practice that aims to address social and economic injustice and aims to eliminate, not ameliorate, the conditions that perpetuate injustice and exploitation. As a resuly, social workers are called to make a preferential option with the poor (Farmer, 2005; see also Gutiérrez, 1973; Maduro, 1982; and Martín-Baró, 1994), a phrase used widely in Latin America to articulate the commitment people of privilege have to fight for social and economic justice in partnership with the most affected. This option necessitates that “social work (must) revisions itself according to the present reality” (Colectivo, 1989, p. 9), as in Latin American social work.
This analysis of the present reality as a way to improve upon social work practice requires three elements
a theoretical base that gives us a framework for action; action in both the popular/grassroots and professional arenas; and, an organization ideology with three elements: 1) a commitment to basing our work in the knowledge of the people; 2) an ethical commitment to work in partnership with the most affected to ensure human rights; and, 3) interaction with other social actors towards a practice oriented towards social change (Eroles, 1997, pp. 28, 29).
In other words,
it is not enough for social workers to profess a commitment to human rights. We have to know how to integrate human rights into our practice. We have to change our educational models so that they integrate theory and practice in human rights. We must generate a style of work that is participative and active (Sánchez, 1989, p. 28).
For the “social worker and social workers, human rights should be the basis of our action and our work. They are nonnegotiable” (Johansson, 1989, p. 34), not just a passing fad.
Finally, it is important to note that our colleagues in Latin America do not envision human rights in individualistic terms as is common on the Northern hemisphere. Human rights are inherently collective, therefore solidarity is critical. And, as social workers, we must recognize the social element of human rights; social work practice that focuses on individual strategies is diametrically opposed to the idea of social work with its emphasis on the social. In this way, the struggle for human rights requires social workers to work collectively, with people in client status taking the lead, to make change. This is the essence of human rights practice, a practice centered on those most affected by injustices. As Sánchez points out: “with the introduction of human rights into the daily work of social workers, the profession became much more meaningful” (1989, p. 20) .