Choose the following area of Human Rights practice to serve as your topic for this assignment: Children’s Rights
Address the following:
- Provide a brief description of the target topic.
- Understanding that “every person regardless of position in society has fundamental human rights such as freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, health care, and education” (CSWE, 2015), discuss the right or rights that are being violated for people in your focus population
- Examine the social and economic issues that affect this population. Describe our “culture’s structures and values, including social, economic, political, and cultural exclusions, [that] may oppress, marginalize, alienate” (CSWE, 2015) this group of people.
- Analyze the role of the social worker in the fight for social, economic, and environmental justice for people in your selected population. (Recall information from MSW-5000 on social work roles).
Be sure to include specific examples that illustrate the need for this social justice cause to be addressed by those in the social work profession.
NOTE: You may use your topic from this week for your Signature Assignment.
Support your assignment with at least two scholarly resources.
Assignment: Prepare a 3-5 page paper addressing the criteria noted above.
not including title and reference pages. Use struct APA 7 format.
Sample Answer
Brief Description of the Target Topic
Children’s rights are fundamental freedoms and inherent rights entitled to all human beings below 18 years. The rights apply to all children irrespective of race, color, sex, creed, or any other form of status. The rights seek to provide equality of opportunity. Children’s rights are spelled in the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child, an international agreement that legally binds all countries in protecting economic, social, political, civil, and cultural rights. The fundamental rights listed include the right to life, survival, and development, the right to an education, to be protected from neglect, abuse, and violence, have a relationship, or be raised by parents, and express opinions. The Convention on the Rights of the Child seeks to ensure that children can develop to their full potential. Four major principles that underpin children’s rights include non-discrimination, the right to survival and development, the best interests of the child, and the views of the child.
Rights That Are Being Violated for Children
Children have fundamental human rights that must always be protected by all. Fundamental rights for children include the right to an identity, health, family life, education, protection from violence, right to an opinion, protection from exploitation, and protection from armed forces. The extent to which children’s rights are respected varies across countries, depending on the effectiveness of the law. One of the most violated children’s rights is protection from abuse and violence. A significant number of children across countries are subjected to corporal punishment and psychological violence. It is estimated that 1.6 billion children are victims of violence every year and according to UNICEF, violence against children includes homicide, bullying, physical punishment, sexual abuse, witnessing domestic violence, and intimate partner violence (Shiva Kumar et al., 2017). In other contexts, children are exposed to violence related to conflict and war and are forced to live without adult care, while others are forced to join armed forces. Violence is characterized by an aspect of neglect. Other violations of children’s rights involve the right to education and protection from exploitation as children are victims of early marriages or child trafficking to work in different regions and sectors.
The Social and Economic Issues That Affect This Population
The welfare of children varies across regions and countries and is influenced by cultural structures and values, including social, economic, political, and cultural exclusions. For example, the present disclosure indicates that the structures and nature of Omani society characterized by authoritarian parenting styles, collectivist household economies, shame-based social conditioning, extended families, and limited expression of emotions increase the risk for children (Al-Saadoon et al., 2021). The factors inhibit the implementation of international best practices that promote child welfare. Social factors that affect children include racial discrimination, religion, education levels, population density, bullying habits, and substance abuse. Children are at a greater risk of violations if the social factors do not favor them. For example, children from racial and ethnic minorities, children with parents with low education levels, children living in slums, or children in families with a lifestyle of substance abuse have a high likelihood of having their rights violated and are less likely to have intervention from government and other relevant agencies. In such circumstances, the parents or the guardians and the society at large may be ignorant or lack the necessary resources to address the problems.
Economic factors such as unemployment, poverty, and low incomes subject the children to struggles and deny them some of their rights, including the right to education. Children from families or areas with low economic status have unequal opportunities to achieve their full potential. They are more likely to miss education, suffer various forms of abuse, lack proper housing, suffer hunger, lack access to healthcare services, and other miseries. The children are more likely to suffer neglect from their parents or guardians. The children will miss the opportunity to access development opportunities and are more likely to continue with the cycle in their environment. Political factors such as political instability rob children of a healthy lifestyle due to the risk of losing their parents or guardians and living in fear. Cultural practices subject children to societal standards that may be unjust and a threat to a healthy future. This includes cultural practices encouraging early marriages, female circumcision, or gender-based violence.
The Role of the Social Worker in the Fight for Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice for Children
Children’s social workers work towards increasing safety for children and increasing stability in families. Social workers fight for social, economic, and environmental justice for children by advocating for policies addressing the issues, such as policies aiming to increase employment, reduce poverty, and promote responsible behavior toward the environment. According to Bliss and Ginn (2021), social work has a long history of being engaged in advocacy efforts to support the marginalized and vulnerable to achieve social justice. They can also create awareness of the adverse impact of certain situations such as environmental pollution, social practices, and economic policies and mobilize the society and administration teams towards positive social change. They can also train and educate the members of the society to empower them with the necessary skills to address the injustices. An example is equipping community members with skills to engage in income-generating activities.
