CHAPTER 3: FOOD SECURITY CONCEPTS
3.6 Social work, food security and human rights
63 as prepared food or fuel wood. They also substituted family-provided services for services previously sourced from outside—such as child-care or elementary health care. Whenever possible, work time tends to increase, with household members who usually do not work—
women, children, and the elderly—being asked to work within the home and outside (Björkman, 2006). It is not always clear if such work is decent or not. ILO (2012) summed up decent work as opportunities for work that are productive and deliver a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organise and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity and fair treatment of all women and men. Agriculture based workers may not always enjoy such conditions, especially if the work is not regulated. Decent work has become a universal objective and has been included in major human rights declarations, UN Resolutions and outcome documents from major conferences including Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the World Summit for Social Development (1995), World Summit Outcome Document (2005), the high level segment of ECOSOC (2006), the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017), Conference on Sustainable Development (2011) and in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2015).
64 and development” (IASSW & IFSW, 2014). The lack of food by one group of people could be explained by the structural barriers, such as international unfair trade deals and neoliberalism which contribute to the perpetuation of inequalities, exploitation and oppression.
Critical theory in social work thus seeks to interrogate such inequalities and raise a level of consciousness that questions such unjust situations. The social change mandate is driven by the need to challenge and change those structural conditions that contribute to marginalisation, social exclusion and oppression. Social change initiatives recognize the place of human agency in advancing human rights and economic, environmental, and social justice (Sewpaul and Larsen, 2014).
The profession of social work is based on the principles of “respect for the inherent worth and dignity of human beings, doing no harm, respect for diversity and upholding human rights and social justice” (IASSW & IFSW, 2014). Since its inception, social work has been a human rights profession (Lombard and Twirikize, 2014). From this perspective, the right to food security is a key component of the concerns of social work. Ife (2012) explained that the right to food is a second generation human right. There are 3 generations of human rights. The first has to do with the right to be treated with dignity, right to public safety and to be free from discrimination. The second has to with the right to adequate income, housing and food among others. The third is concerned with the right to economic development. The generation of rights are indivisible and interdependent (Ife, 2012). Lombard and Twikirize (2014) have argued that the three-generation perspective is useful in “recognising social workers’ role in human rights from a broader justice and sustainable development perspective, because it provides a platform for social work to integrate social, economic and environmental development” (p.316).
Human dignity is not complete without fulfilling the right to food, or other basic rights at that.
Advocating and upholding human rights and social justice is the motivation and justification for social work. Of note is that this right co-exists alongside collective responsibility. What this implies is that in as much as individuals and households can claim their right to food, this should also be accompanied by the collective responsibility to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to fulfil this right. Such measures could include the protection of the environment, not wasting food by throwing away surplus both at individual and global levels. To accomplish
65 a common purpose and understanding of social work and human rights, the Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training (Sewpaul and Jones, 2004) behoves all social workers to be trained in a basic human rights approach. The application of social work in addressing issues of food security as a basic human right stems from its inter-disciplinarity and the use of a wide array of scientific theories and research (IASSW and IFSW, 2014). In addition to the wide spectrum of knowledge from which social work draws, the profession’s legitimacy in addressing food security and human rights issues lie in its intervention at the points where people interact with their environment. The environment includes the various social systems that people are embedded in and the natural, geographic environment, which has a profound influence on the lives of people (Sewpaul and Larsen, 2014).
Consistent with the social development paradigm, social workers utilise a range of skills, techniques, strategies, principles and activities at various system levels, directed at system maintenance and/or system change efforts. The IFSW international policy on human rights (1996) states that every human being has a unique value, which justifies moral consideration for that person. In summary it also states that everyone has the right to self-fulfillment to the extent that it does not encroach upon the same right of others. Society is also obliged to provide the maximum benefits for all its members. By their very nature, the (UNFPA, 2005) notes that human rights are
Inherent- one is simply born with them and they belong to individuals as a result of common humanity. Human rights are not owned by select people or given as a gift
Inalienable- Individuals cannot give them up and they cannot be taken away — even if governments do not recognize or protect them
Universal- They are held by all people, everywhere – regardless of age, sex, race, religion, nationality, income level or any other status or condition in life. Human rights belong to every human being equally. States are obliged to take positive actions to realise rights e.g. the creation of appropriate policies and legislation (p. 25).
66