How Social Workers Can Use a Human Rights Approach to Disasters: Lessons Learned from the International Community

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Disaster management strategies have often relied on a humanitarian approach which responds to societal needs through the use of support and assistance. A growing trend has been to apply a human rights approach to disaster management, which emphasizes human dignity, participation, equitable use of resources, transparency, accountability, and the obligations of governments to protect people’s rights during disasters. In this paper, I introduce the reader to the human rights approach, and international human rights bodies that have operated during disasters, as well as to the international laws and guidelines that have been produced by these bodies in relation to disasters. Then I examine the ways in which a human rights approach has been used during disaster mitigation, preparation, response and recovery efforts, and how a human rights approach can be enhanced in these efforts in the future. Finally, I make a case for why social workers should consider using a human rights approach to disaster management, and discuss how social work practitioners, researchers, and advocates can promote this approach in their disaster-related work.