| Poverty eradication: the role of social work
Poverty is “a human condition characterized by the sustained or chronic deprivation of the resources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.” And as long as social work has existed the profession has been concerned with addressing the needs of individuals and communities who experience severe disadvantage and have been variously described as living in relative or absolute poverty. The eradication of poverty is recognized as one of the most important tasks for the global community. Statistics are contradictory. Yet 1.4 billion people - a quarter of the developing world - live in extreme poverty on less than US$1.25 a day.
Poverty has been a central concept in the development of social work over the past century. As a measure of economic deprivation, it is important in itself. It is viewed as an underlying cause of a whole range of problems with which professionals must grapple daily – poor health, family stress and breakdown, weakened community structure, and political and social apathy.
There are many different views on what poverty is and is not. Poverty is about an unequal and unjust distribution of goods. But poverty is more than that. It is a human rights’ issue.
The Copenhagen Declaration describes absolute poverty as “a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information." The World Bank identifies "extreme poverty" as being people who live on less than $1 a day, and "poverty" as less than $2 a day. On that standard, 21% of the world's population was in extreme poverty, and more than half the world's population was poor in 2001.
Three levels of poverty have been identified: extreme poverty, moderate poverty, and relative poverty. Extreme poverty occurs when families can not meet their basic needs for survival. They may be frequently hungry, lack safe drinking water, cannot afford education for their children, may lack shelter, and have inadequate clothing. This level of poverty is most likely in developing countries. Moderate poverty occurs when families just meet their basic needs, while relative poverty refers to circumstances in developed countries when household income is below a given proportion of national income.
The struggle against poverty must link local and the global perspectives. Locally, social workers are involved in alleviating the suffering of those individuals most impacted most affected by poverty. The concept of “empowerment” is part of the people-centred approach. Nationally, social workers are committed to influence social policy. Globally, IFSW and partner organisations are committed to argue the case for policies and strategies which eliminate poverty. We are not alone in our engagement for this goal. The international community proclaimed the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008 – 2017)
At the World Conference in Hong Kong 2010 we will build the world social agenda for the next decade – and one of the themes will probably be saying again what social workers can contribute to create a world without poverty. The aim is ambitious. We are talking about the eradication of poverty. For social work poverty eradication is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative. IFSW has committed itself to the eradication of global poverty. We need to think in advance about some key questions, and have identified five areas: policy, practice, priority settings, provision of services and participation from a social work perspective.
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| Questions open for discussion in order to build the Agenda for the Conference
POLICY:
- Has there been a critical analysis of what programs exist ,how they were developed and what there impact has been in the fight to eradicate global poverty ?
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- How can social workers and social work educators become more effective in influencing political structures?
- How can IFSW influence national and international policies on poverty and whom should we work with?
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PRACTICE:
- What is the role of social work in all levels of education and practice (micro and macro) in relation to poverty and poverty eradication and are they effective?
- Do the social work skills needed to combat poverty differ depending on the country and context?
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PRIORITY SETTINGS:
- Are social workers and social work educators focusing their efforts on the most vulnerable groups such as, children, women, older persons and those affected by conflicts and war.
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PROVISION OF SERVICES:
- Are social workers and social work educators engaged in all areas, such as education, employment, health, and social, etc. In the work to eradicate poverty and to mitigate its effects on people?
- What are the social work skills needed to ‘empower’ people living in poverty?
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PARTICIPATION:
- How has the concept of popular participation at all levels included poor people in development of programs and services?
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