Week 4 Human Rights
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This document discusses anti-oppressive social work practice. It defines oppression and describes different types including individual, institutional, and cultural oppression. Anti-oppressive practice aims to recognize and address power imbalances in society. Direct service strategies for anti-oppressive practice include empowering and building capacity in clients, educating both clients and other service providers, and assisting clients to navigate systems. The overall goal is to work at individual, self, and social movement levels to challenge privilege and look at the roots of oppression.
Week 4 Human Rights
- 1. Practice with Diverse Groups Lecture 3 Anti Oppressive Practice (Bains. D., (2007). Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice Building Transformative Politicized Social work)
- 2. They came for the Communists, and I did not speak up because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Protestants and I did not speak up because I was Catholic. Then they came for me and by that time there was no one left to speak up. Martin Niemoeller (Minister)
- 3. Mission of Social Work • To expose the roots and effects of social oppression • Social oppression • The “isms” • A short hand way of categorizing the systemic mistreatment of people according to one of their many identities, biological or cultural.
- 4. Oppression Oppression = Prejudice + Power
- 5. • If we live long enough, all of us will experience some form of oppression.
- 6. • There are different types of power: • Power over • Power from within. • Systems work by imposing power over • Works through coercion, fear • Undermine – withdraw consent , non-cooperation • We have endless reserves of power from within, creativity, imagination
- 7. How would you define….. • Collective Power • When we act together… • Social Power • Example - power men have over women, white people have over people of color, etc.
- 8. What is Oppression? Victimization Power imbalance Bullying Lack of Rights Discrimination Less eligibility Disempowerment Low self worth Lack of respect Alienation Being kept down Feeling of isolation Internalised oppression
- 9. There are different forms of oppression
- 10. Types of Oppression • Individual • Attitudes and beliefs that motivates acts of discrimination against a social group • E.g. a store owner who suspects all teenage customers of stealing.
- 11. Types of Oppression • Institutional: • Laws and policies enacted by institutions that disadvantage some but advantage others, reproducing systems of inequality. • Examples of institutions include government, education, law, religion, and the media;
- 12. Types of Oppression • Cultural: Social norms, roles, language, music or art that reflect and reinforce the belief that one social group is superior to another, rendering inequalities as normal and deserved • E.g. most popular characters on a television program are white, thin and heterosexual
- 13. When SSW’s empower people, they need to work at three different levels: 1. The individual 2. Themselves 3. Social Movements
- 14. The Individual: •An individual’s problems are not due to individual failures, but are due to society’s oppressive structures. Private problems = Public Problems
- 15. The Social Service Worker: •The SSW does not hold the power within the therapeutic relationship.
- 16. Social Movements & Alternative Social Services: •Social movements are groups that advocate for social change. • Challenge privilege • Look at the roots of oppression •Alternative Social Services emphasize the principle of consumer control.
- 17. Forms of Oppression • Ablism • Ageism • Classism • Ethnocentrism • Heterosexism • Racism • Sexism
- 18. Marilyn Frye - Birdcage If you look closely at the cage you can not see the other bars. It is only when you step back and take a look at the whole do you see how multiple bars work together to form a cage. Those on the outside are also restricted – they are locked out of that location
- 19. Define Anti-Oppressive Practice (AOP) (Dalhousie University School of Social Work n.d.) • Recognizing: • Power imbalances and working towards change to redress the balance of power • That oppression does not work in isolation
- 20. What does it mean to work from an anti- oppression framework? (Dalhousie University School of Social Work n.d.) • Actively working to acknowledge and shift power towards inclusiveness, accessibility, equity and social justice. • Ensuring that anti-oppression is embedded in everything that you do by examining attitudes and actions through the lens of access, equity and social justice. • Being conscious and active in the process of learning and recognizing that the process as well as the product is important. • Creating a space where people are safe, but can also be challenged.
- 21. Why Use AOP (Dalhousie University School of Social Work n.d.) • Difficult for us to recognize that we oppress others, we need to recognize that we do. • E.g., We oppress when: • We form stereotypes • We meet someone who doesn’t fit into our stereotype and think that they are an exception to “their group”
- 22. We oppress when: (continued) • We do not want to think about racism, sexism, etc. because it makes us uncomfortable, angry, defensive, guilty, etc. Instead, we “make believe” that everything is fine. • We do not speak up when someone tells a racist, sexist, etc. joke. • We tell or think that someone is “making a big deal” out of nothing e.g. instances of discrimination • We think that people are rude or slow if they respond differently e.g. different traditions, difficulty speaking English, etc
- 23. Direct Service Strategies (Bains. D., (2007). Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice Building Transformative Politicized Social work) Anti Oppressive Practice Engaging Authentically Empowerment & Capacity Building Educating Service Users Educating other Service Providers Assisting Service Users to navigate systems
- 24. Direct Service Strategies (Bains. D., (2007). Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice Building Transformative Politicized Social work) • Assisting Service Users to navigate systems • Recognizing that many of the systems clients use every day can be problematic e.g., legal, financial, educational systems • Helping clients understand how these systems function • Providing options within these systems
- 25. Direct Service Strategies (Bains. D., (2007). Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice Building Transformative Politicized Social work) • Empowerment & Capacity Building • Helping clients develop the confidence and skill necessary to negotiate systems for themselves • Educating Other Service Providers • Sensitizing other service providers to the needs of clients • E.g., educating OW workers about domestic violence
- 26. Direct Service Strategies (Bains. D., (2007). Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice Building Transformative Politicized Social work) • Engaging Authentically • Creating a safe space for clients • Working being present and interested in the client • The worker is – fair, non-judgemental, welcoming • Educating Service Users • To the issues • New ways of considering thing (information e.g., other ways to discipline children beside spanking) • About services