What & Why International Social Work...
Social Work 6991 is my first formal exposure to international social work. As its name implies International social work is social work in an international context. Our textbook, Handbook of International Social Work provides much insight into how International Social Work is defined and described. According to Healy (2012), “International social work can be defined as any aspect of the profession that involves more than one country” (p. 10). Moreover, Healy relayed “International social work includes any social work activity anywhere in the world, directed toward global social justice and human rights, in which local practice is dialectally linked to the global context” (as cited in Haug, 2005, p. 133). According to Estes (n.d.), “International social work is a discrete field of practice within social work that seeks to improve the social and material well-being of people everywhere. It is practiced across geopolitical borders and at all levels of social and economic organization.” Although there are differing opinions about the definition of international social and its practices, it is apparent that social work in an international context could not be more relevant.
As our world becomes more connected and interdependent through globalization, the international exchange of goods, services, and ideas, the local, state, nation, and international relations of people have taken on new importance and relevance. For example, the sweat shops in China are relevant to western culture because we consume vast amounts of electronics assembled in these Chinese sweat shops. There are countless other examples of how the events in other countries have impacts for our own. One does not have to struggle to think of international public health concerns like HIV/AIDS, SARS, and Swine Flu that impact the international community. Moreover, conflict rarely remains confined within specific borders. For example, Nazi Germany’s influence and campaign of murder stretched across vast parts of Eastern Europe, the trafficking of sex workers has often required movement across international borders, terrorism and war is mostly fought on an international or multi-national level.
There is no shortage of examples of how we are connected to each other, whether it is through commerce, large natural disasters, or international conflict. As a result of our international interconnectedness, our social work ethics and practice require concern and action on an international level. It is on the international stage that many of the most severe forms of human suffering can be exposed, remedied, and healed. Only through the concerted efforts of the international community including social workers, government personnel, NGO’s, etc. with vast amounts of resources and skills begin to remedy the horrors of genocide, slavery, and endless war.
As part of humanity, we all have a responsibility to use our resources and skills for the improvement of our global society. This can be done in many ways locally and globally whether engaged with local government officials to respond to international crimes against humanity or on the group in developing countries providing aid to refugees, we can make an impact in the world. The world is full of brokenness, suffering, and evil, but it is also full of love, healing, and justice. To say that the horrors of human slavery, terrorism, and abject poverty do not apply to me and my scope of practice is a lie and an abdication of our responsibility to seek justice and fight oppression. As Martin Luther King Jr. wisely stated, “To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it.” In my mind, if I say nothing and do nothing about the tragedies of this world, then I should be considered an accomplice to them. Sobering words for a society that puts high value on comfort and ease of living, but if we take serious the charge to seek justice from an international social work perspective, we can in fact become effective change agents on a global scale.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
~Martin Luther King Jr.
References
Estes, R. J. (n.d.). United States-Based Conceptualization of International Social Work. Retrieved from http://www.cswe.org/File.aspx?id=31429
Haug, E. (2005). Critical Reflections on the emerging discourse on international social work. International Social Work, 48(2), 126-135.
Healy, L. M. (2012). Defining International Social Work. In L. Healy & R. Link (Eds.), Handbook of International Social Work (pp. 9-15). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
As our world becomes more connected and interdependent through globalization, the international exchange of goods, services, and ideas, the local, state, nation, and international relations of people have taken on new importance and relevance. For example, the sweat shops in China are relevant to western culture because we consume vast amounts of electronics assembled in these Chinese sweat shops. There are countless other examples of how the events in other countries have impacts for our own. One does not have to struggle to think of international public health concerns like HIV/AIDS, SARS, and Swine Flu that impact the international community. Moreover, conflict rarely remains confined within specific borders. For example, Nazi Germany’s influence and campaign of murder stretched across vast parts of Eastern Europe, the trafficking of sex workers has often required movement across international borders, terrorism and war is mostly fought on an international or multi-national level.
There is no shortage of examples of how we are connected to each other, whether it is through commerce, large natural disasters, or international conflict. As a result of our international interconnectedness, our social work ethics and practice require concern and action on an international level. It is on the international stage that many of the most severe forms of human suffering can be exposed, remedied, and healed. Only through the concerted efforts of the international community including social workers, government personnel, NGO’s, etc. with vast amounts of resources and skills begin to remedy the horrors of genocide, slavery, and endless war.
As part of humanity, we all have a responsibility to use our resources and skills for the improvement of our global society. This can be done in many ways locally and globally whether engaged with local government officials to respond to international crimes against humanity or on the group in developing countries providing aid to refugees, we can make an impact in the world. The world is full of brokenness, suffering, and evil, but it is also full of love, healing, and justice. To say that the horrors of human slavery, terrorism, and abject poverty do not apply to me and my scope of practice is a lie and an abdication of our responsibility to seek justice and fight oppression. As Martin Luther King Jr. wisely stated, “To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it.” In my mind, if I say nothing and do nothing about the tragedies of this world, then I should be considered an accomplice to them. Sobering words for a society that puts high value on comfort and ease of living, but if we take serious the charge to seek justice from an international social work perspective, we can in fact become effective change agents on a global scale.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
~Martin Luther King Jr.
References
Estes, R. J. (n.d.). United States-Based Conceptualization of International Social Work. Retrieved from http://www.cswe.org/File.aspx?id=31429
Haug, E. (2005). Critical Reflections on the emerging discourse on international social work. International Social Work, 48(2), 126-135.
Healy, L. M. (2012). Defining International Social Work. In L. Healy & R. Link (Eds.), Handbook of International Social Work (pp. 9-15). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
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