...Mother Blaming: How Welfare Systems Reinforce Institutionalized Oppression Critical Response Paper Mother Blaming: How Welfare Systems Reinforce Institutionalized Oppression Introduction States have established several entities to ensure the safety and well being of their citizens; of particular importance is protecting the welfare of vulnerable populations, such as the disabled, minor children, and the elderly. Social welfare policies and programs also serve to afford equal and/or equitable opportunities for vulnerable populations, to level the playing field and minimize the effects that years of oppression tends to have on members of the non-dominant culture. Although welfare systems aim to improve the lives of our nation’s vulnerable populations, institutional oppression has also permeated this system, influencing the research, practices, and policies of professionals in their respective fields. Consequently, a system that was established to protect and assure the well being of vulnerable populations has also served to re/victimize and reinforces the oppression of the lives of those involved with these systems. The manifestation of gender bias and institutional oppression in the welfare systems are social justice issues with vast implications for vulnerable populations; according to the NASW Code of Ethics, as professional social workers, we have an ethical responsibility to challenge social injustice and pursue social change, particularly on behalf of vulnerable...
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...SOCIAL JUSTICE Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being.[1][2][3] The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by the Jesuit Luigi Taparelli in 1840 based on the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and given further exposure in 1848 by Antonio Rosmini-Serbati.Social justice as a secular concept, distinct from religious teachings, emerged mainly in the late twentieth century, influenced primarily by philosopher John Rawls. Some tenets of social justice have been adopted by those on the left of the political spectrum.Social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality and involves a greater degree of economic egalitarianism through progressive taxation, income redistribution, or even property redistribution.These policies aim to achieve what developmental economists refer to as more equality of opportunity than may currently exist in some societies, and to manufacture equality of outcome in cases where incidental inequalities appear in a procedurally just system.The Constitution of the International Labour Organization affirms that "universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice. Social justice is when something is unreasonable within society or around the world. There are many different unjust things that happen in our...
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...Running Head: COUNSELING AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Stepping up Counseling Responsibilities in a Socially Unjust Society Abstract Social Justice has been an emerging issue over the last century in today’s service environment of helping professionals. I reviewed several articles where the main theme is; we live in a world of systems that allow for injustice and oppression. The Professional Counselor’s work deals with many of the symptoms that permit for this injustice and oppression. The articles had similar recurring traits that are stressed as important practices that need to be adopted by Professionals in the helping field to increase awareness of social justice and implement actions for change in a socially unjust society. I will explain the four main attributes: knowledge, awareness, research and advocacy and explain how education and focus in each area will contribute to the social justice inequities in the communities we practice. If professional counselors want to promote social justice, to be effective, there has to be a movement to take action on the burdensome stigmatisms and unfortunate inequities that human beings bring to professionals about the communities they live in. Social justice and the counseling profession have roots that goes back to the 1900’s. It has always been understood from a social work point of view that problems such as depression, anxiety, and abuse often derive from economic...
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...to the librarian of Santhom library Rev. Dr. Sebastian Chalackal and all other librarians for helping me in the collection of data for the completion of this work. Fro generously sharing their wisdom, love and time I pay gratitude to my entire batch mates of Dazzlers. Conveying my sincere thanks to all the members of Sevana social group I wind up. general introduction Human is a rational and social being. Society is an unavoidable factor for human being. There are a lot of things to keep as a social being to human. To maintain a good relationship with others, there are certain written and unwritten rules. The person who keeps this rules called ‘just man’. There are different faces to the concept ‘justice’. A brief study about the concept ‘justice’ is an important today. Many philosophers have tried to explain the concept ‘justice’ and its features. We can find a lot of features in personal justice. The meaning of justice may change according to the situations. But there should be a common factor; this common factor is the concept of ‘ethics’. In general justice and ethics are co-related. Today the study of justice includes anthropology, sociology,...
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...Social justice is a simple concept that unfortunately is not fulfilled within our society. Obtaining my Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice last spring has given me the opportunity to take various courses such as juveniles and the criminal justice system, social psychology, and ethics. I believed the basic concept of social justice is that every human being has equal rights and opportunities regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, beliefs, etc. America has sold this idea that we can all have what is known as the “American Dream”. The American Dream refers to a big house with a white picket fence along with a nice car and so forth, but what they do not emphasize is how unrealistic that idea is for many American, which is a social injustice. It is very unfortunate that slavery ended 151 years ago, but yet African Americans still face oppression. They are fighting odds not put forth on themselves but the odds society has created for them. A prime example, the current amount of police brutality cases against African American is a tremendous societal...
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...When engaging in policy-practice it is important to understand how social services and social welfare policies are formulated, adopted, implemented, and evaluated. In doing so, social workers then can: Analyze and apply the theories of justice and social justice, apply the historical and contemporary conceptual frameworks of advocacy for social and economic justice, examine the origins of oppression and discrimination within social structures and its impacts on public policy, and examine the personal and professional role in ethical, cultural relevant and social generalist practice across systems of all sizes. In other words, policy practice allows social workers to advocate for individuals within the community by using his/her social work...
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...Meghan Fry Social Justice and Its War on Violence “Social Justice” is often considered a vague or indefinite term which lends itself to be interpreted many ways. Philosophers and theologians, both past and present, have given their interpretations of what social justice means and though they may argue over the “true” meaning of social justice, there is always the undertone of a certain fairness across humanity with regard to human rights. The arguments over what is fair and who determines fairness is often the dividing line amongst intellectuals attempting to define social justice. In the end, all interpretations agree that social injustice is often more likely than social justice and only action by society as a whole can cure it. Health issues for persons living with injustice include malnutrition, disease, environmental decay, lack of occupational safety and access to medical care (1). One health issue, in particular, that afflicts every society is violence. Whether it is violence against oneself, another individual, or an entire group, causing physical or mental harm for any purpose robs people of their basic human rights of life, liberty and security of person (2). Public Health workers can, and must be, a driving force for changes in society to prevent and remedy the injustice of violence. Whether changes come from education, governmental laws, or efforts to build community relationships, the public health sector must be readily involved. Social justice can be described...
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...Not only social workers, but many other groups of professionals, agencies, bodies of government, and more adhere to ethical guidelines set forth in the National Association of Social Work (NASW) Code of Ethics with embedded core values to encourage ethical decision making with accountability. It is the Code of Ethics that guides professional responsibility “to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty” (Workers, 2008). Ethics and values that are important to policies directed toward social and economic changes of America’s society. The 2010, Patient Protection Affordable Care Act involves...
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...Awareness A. Personal Cultural Competence and Action Plan IV. Conclusion V. Reference Annotated Bibliography Aiken, Jane H. (2007). Striving to Teach “Justice, Fairness, and Morality”. Clinical Law Review, 5, pp 1-67. This article discusses justice means giving each person what he or she deserves or, in more traditional terms, giving each person his or her due. Justice and fairness are closely related terms that are often today used interchangeably. Brownell, K., & Puhl, R. (2004). Stigma and discrimination in weight management and obesity. The Permanenie Journal, 7 (3), pp. 21-23. This articles discuss clear discrimination against overweight people has been documented in three areas: education, health care, and employment. The reason for this appears to be very strong anti-fat attitudes. Constantine, M., Hage, S., Kindaichi, M., & Bryant, R. (2005). Social justice and multicultural issues: Implications for the practice and training of counselors and counseling psychologists. Journal of Counseling & Development, 75., pp. 34-39. This article discusses the historical and contemporary connection to social justice issues in the fields of counseling and counseling psychology via the...
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...A general definition of social justice is hard to arrive at and even harder to implement. In essence, social justice is concerned with equal justice, not just in the courts, but in all aspects of society. This concept demands that people have equal rights and opportunities; everyone, from the poorest person on the margins of society to the wealthiest deserves an even playing field. Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being.The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by the Jesuit Luigi Taparelli in 1840 based on the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and given further exposure in 1848 by Antonio Rosmini-Serbati. The idea was elaborated by the moral theologian John A. Ryan, who initiated the concept of a living wage. Father Coughlin also used the term in his publications in the 1930s and the 1940s. It is a part of Catholic social teaching, Social Gospel from Episcopalians and is one of the Four Pillars of the Green Party upheld by green parties worldwide. Social justice as a secular concept, distinct from religious teachings, emerged mainly in the late twentieth century, influenced primarily by philosopher John Rawls. Some tenets of social justice have been adopted by those on the left of the political spectrum. Social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and...
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...1. Social justice and equity is more important than economic justice and equity. Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being Defining Social Justice Social justice encompasses economic justice. Social justice is the virtue which guides us in creating those organized human interactions we call institutions. In turn, social institutions, when justly organized, provide us with access to what is good for the person, both individually and in our associations with others. Social justice also imposes on each of us a personal responsibility to work with others to design and continually perfect our institutions as tools for personal and social development. Defining Economic Justice Economic justice, which touches the individual person as well as the social order, encompasses the moral principles which guide us in designing our economic institutions. These institutions determine how each person earns a living, enters into contracts, exchanges goods and services with others and otherwise produces an independent material foundation for his or her economic sustenance. The ultimate purpose of economic justice is to free each person to engage creatively in the unlimited work beyond economics, that of the mind and the spirit. Social justice based on the values of fairness, equality and respect...
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...Social Services Lobbyists Social lobbyists seek to obtain the support of many individuals along with politicians. The social lobbyists gather ideas and resources needed for the human services and then seeks to persuade and gather supporters. A social lobbyist as a social advocate is very important. The reason for this is that the lobbyist actually experiences the resources and knows what can be implemented for improvement. The responsibility of a lobbyist is extensive and consists of numerous tasks. Social advocates are courageous people who attain good analytical skills. Social advocates stand for what they believe in, and they lobby for people who are exploited, underprivileged, and destitute. There are different types of social advocates who lobby for what they believe in, such as human rights activist, environmentalists, revolutionary leader, and social workers. Social workers are huge social advocates; they lobby for political and social actions that help clients have equal access to employment, and services. Social workers lobby for county programs, local human rights commissions, and state agencies, such as those providing food stamps, Medicaid, and vocational rehabilitation. On the federal side social workers lobby for Social Security Administration, Department of Health and Human services, United States Department of Justice, and the president of the United States. Social workers positions as lobbyists effect social policy changes through changing laws...
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...Name Instructor Course Date Justice and Economic Distribution Justice can be defined as living and acting within the law. This means that every individual should act in a right manner and that do not abuse other people’s rights. When one fails to follow regulations within a country or a community, then the rule of law can take its course. However, for justice to prevail, even the law breakers should be judged fairly without discrimination, prejudice or judging out of hunger. On the other hand, justice should not only be seen in terms of punishing the law breakers, but it also means treating people in an equal and fair way. For instance, in a family set up parents should treat their children in an equal manner. According to the family justice, parents should only punish their children in a way that correct the mistake but reward children when they do a positive thing. The laws or regulations that ensure every person practices justice have their roots may be in societal norms, religious ethics, and the constitution of a state. The primary goal of every rule of law is to ensure that all every member of a state or a society a gets just treatment. According to Maiese, M (210) what people see as injustice is capable of resulting into unrest, dissatisfaction, or even revolution. He goes on to claim that there are various types of justices, coming as a result of various ways through which guiding principles of justice are expressed by various levels. The term distributism is an...
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...The goal and history of Human Services, the nature of the generalist practice, theoretical frameworks, common intervention strategies and finally, ethical considerations will all be discussed in this essay. The Goal of Human Services As previously mentioned, Human Services are a means by which the socially disadvantaged can be assisted in meeting their basic physical and emotional needs. Various obstacles keep some from meeting their needs on their own. Some of these obstacles have been created by the individual himself due to bad judgment or decisions. However, more often than not the reasons why people cannot meet their basic needs are due to circumstances beyond their control (Martin, 2007). Human service agencies (also known as social service agencies) are called upon by these individuals when they have encountered these obstacles and they do not have anyone that can help them succeed in circumventing them. These obstacles or barriers can be any number of things ranging from lack of a family or friends, unemployment and mental and/or physical illnesses (Martin, 2007). History of Human Services Human Services as we now know it is a...
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...you were charged with a felony offense, and sentenced to 5 years in prison. Even though you weren’t satisfied with the sentence or the system, you decided to chalk it up to bad luck and serve your time. As you walk out of prison, you are excited to return to your life and family; however, little do you know in the state of Kentucky you will basically be living in a prison with no bars. This is social injustice. When I hear the words social injustice I think of equality, civil rights, suffrage, struggles, and ultimately peace. In my opinion, social justice is the natural and fair distribution of goods and services to all members of society no matter what your age, race, sex, or sexual preference happens to be. Social justice does not discriminate; it advocates and allows for a good quality of life for all. According to the National Association of Social Worker’s code of ethics, social work is a profession that strives for social justice by challenging social injustice (NASW, 2008). Furthermore, the NASW code of ethics states that social justice is one of the six important core values of social work, in that the profession and practice of social work highly respects and strives for social, political, and economic opportunities for all no matter what age, sex, sexual preference or ethnicity a client happens to be (NASW, 2008). As social workers we...
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