Human rights and social work in China: Dilemmas and lessons from other countries and areas

Abstract

This article examines the current human rights situation and discusses the dilemmas of adhering and promoting the human rights principle in social work in China. Based on the development of human rights and social work in other countries and areas, it is argued that China’s social workers may strive with human rights activists, clients, and other stakeholders for human rights and be sensitive to the problems of illiberal democracy. It is also suggested that more research on human rights is critical in order to develop a better understanding of human rights and to promote the human rights principle in social work in China.

Validating a model for indicating the professionalisation of social work in China

“…On the one hand, Chinese social work experts may not choose ‘upholding human rights and social justice’ as a core competency, more because of concerns about the political constraints in applying these values than perceiving them as unimportant (Lei & Huang, 2018). As Huang and Zheng (2019) describe, situating the principle of human rights into Chinese social work is ‘hard, impossible or even dangerous . .…”

“…The influences of the professional community, however, will depend on the contextually bounded strategies developed by Chinese social workers. This means that ‘clear rules and expectations may be set to avoid potential ethical and other conflicts’ (Huang & Zheng, 2019, p. 616).…”

Towards developing ethical capacities in social work practice in Africa: Case study and critical commentary from Uganda

“…Second, practitioners should seek, accept and use ethically appropriate services offered by informal systems within their local contexts through working with elders, communities and self-help groups. Finally, practitioners should obtain knowledge of human rights to promote social justice in practice (Huang and Zheng, 2019) through self-education, formal training and from invited human rights guest speakers.…”