The price of professional silence: Social work and human rights in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The place of the social work profession on the human rights arena is beyond doubt. To this end, social work strives to eliminate distress, improve the social functioning of individuals, groups and communities as well as promoting social justice. Zimbabwe has been confronted by a plethora of human rights challenges mainly towards and during elections. Various professional bodies have taken it upon themselves to safeguard the rights of citizens. The social work profession has emerged as the odd one out in this quest for visibility in the face of social distress resulting from political and governance problems. This paper is a product of a thorough eview of literature regarding the social, political and human rights situation in Zimbabwe, as from the year 2000 – 2008. The review of such documentary evidence has shown a professional void that social workers need to fill in a bid to protect and safeguard the rights of the vulnerable members of the society. To this end the paper recommends the social workers take an interest in the political situation of the communities in which they work. Their involvement in political activities through advocacy will go a long way in safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable members of society. KEY TERMS : social work profession, activism, human rights, Zimbabwe, governance, politics

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