Foreword

Mary Lou L. Alcid
Nancy E. Parreño

Weaving Human Rights in Social Work Practice to Address the Roots of Poverty

Gil I. Espenido

Abstract    Poverty is rooted in the the socio-economic, political and cultural system of the Philippines. Poverty as structural violence is embedded in the system and in the process, continuously violates a wide range of human rights of the Filipinos, from political and civil rights to economic, social, and cultural rights. Social Work, as a profession, has usually paid more attention to human needs than to human rights.  With the recognition that at the very core of  its existence are conflicts over how competing social-political-economic groups, forces, and classes  define, interpret and respond to human needs,  the profession has become a contested and highly politicized practice that includes  human rights work. With the persistence and gravity of human rights violations, it is imperative for social workers to fully operationalise human rights as a professional value and principle in their practice. This is a path that will contribute to unravelling and addressing the roots of poverty, and engaging in emancipatory, transformative Social Work. 

Keywords    poverty, human rights, transformative, social work

The Effects of Death through Violations of Human Rights on the Grieving Family

Jowima Ang-Reyes

Abstract    The violent and unjust death of a loved one leaves a profound and distinct impact on the lives of surviving family members. More so, when human rights violations overlay the circumstances of death. The cases of “extrajudicial killings” (EJK) characterizing the current Philippine Drug War, is one example.  Human rights violations leading to violent deaths have  irrevocable consequences on the family as secondary victims . This review of literature,   covering both local and international studies,  highlights  the significance of various factors affecting the surviving family’s grief, coping, and recovery in the bio-psycho-social-spiritual spectrum. Social workers are challenged not only to sort through micro level concerns and issues surrounding grief, but also to look into the social environment, which influence the depth, duration, and healing  of individual grief.

Keywords     grief, grieving families, recovery, human rights

What Makes a Community: Displaced People’s Sense of Community and Human Rights in Resettlement

Raphael M. Ferrer and Devralin T. Lagos

Abstract     Resettlement in the Philippines is a phenomenon that often results to deprivation and displacement of many local communities and threatens human dignity and freedoms. Present literature  on resettlement programs and communities  often overlooks  the subjective  dimension of resettled community, e.g. people’s sense of belonging to their place and community, and how these sentiments are linked to the attainment of human rights in resettlement. Using Q-methodology, a hybrid between qualitative and quantitative methods, this article discusses the process and results of a research on the subjective dimensions of a resettled community in a province south of Metro Manila.  It underscores how, despite dispossession and deprivation, resettlers  are able to build social ties  and forge a sense of community that is shaped  by the conditions and contexts of resettlement. The sense of community and the attainment of human rights are inextricably linked to one another.

Keywords    resettlement, sense of community, human rights 

Rights at Work and Workers’ Resistance in a Luzon Export Zone

Benjamin Velasco

Abstract     Unionization and freedom of association are key labor rights that must be enjoyed by all workers. Yet, they are actively suppressed through various schemes of union avoidance and union busting. Repression of unionization is meant to stop workers from bargaining collectively to better their wages and working conditions. The indifference of the State as represented by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) in the case has led to the outbursts of workers’ protests and strikes escalating the conflict between workers and capitalists. The study explores the state of rights at work in an Ecozone in Luzon through five case studies of the struggles of workers from different factories. Using the human rights-based approach, it examines how duty bearers are protecting, upholding and fulfilling the rights and entitlements of workers as claim-holders. It also reiterates a set of recommendations by the Partido ng Manggagawa that addresses crucial barriers to fulfilling workers rights in the ecozones.

Keywords     export processing zones, unionism, workers, human rights

Doon po sa Amin sa Tundo: May Hirap, May Buhay, May Tambay 

Venarica B. Papa

Pangiyak: Participatory Video Training para sa mga Lumad

Valerainne R. Lopez, Edgie Francis B. Uyanguren, and Celeste F. Vallejos

Keywords     participatory video, lumad

Unity Statement: Only in Defiance and Resistance can we Regain our Humanity

Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this journal are solely the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the College of Social Work and Community Development.