Putting human rights at the heart of social work practice

Neil Ballantyne

doi:10.11157/anzswj-vol31iss4id672

Abstract

This commentary was published by the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, 10 December 2019. ANZASW invited the author to respond to several questions on the topic of human rights. In 2019, Neil was the inaugural winner of the John Fry Memorial Supreme Award for Quality and Innovation in Social Work for his work as a Palestinian human rights defender. The article is structured in a question and response format.

Highlights

Human rights are central to social work (Ivory, 2017; Truell, 2016) and being a human rights defender (OHCHR, 2004) ought to be a primary motivator and goal
The main statement of human rights was set out in the United Nations (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN, 1948) but the declaration needs to be read in conjunction with several subsequent treaties and conventions that expand on rights for particular groups and peoples: such as the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and—especially important for Aotearoa— the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
As a social work educator, I am responsible for ensuring that future social workers understand human-rights perspectives on social work and I teach courses on human rights, social justice, working with communities, and social work law and ethics

Summary

Introduction

Human rights are central to social work (Ivory, 2017; Truell, 2016) and being a human rights defender (OHCHR, 2004) ought to be a primary motivator and goal. Needs-based approaches tend to characterise social workers as experts who intervene to promote the wellbeing of people in need.

Results

Conclusion