On the World Day against the Death Penalty the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) urges all nations to abolish the Death Penalty. The Federation opposes the death penalty as it is a violation of the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Social Work profession respects the inherent dignity and worth of each person. The International Social Work Code of Ethics prohibits contributing to inhumane treatment of people (section 5.2).
The 2010 World Day against the Death Penalty especially focus on those nations where these actions are regurally carried out in the name of justice. Globally the death penalty has been and continues to be differentially applied to people who are poor, disadvantaged, of limited mental or intellectual capacity, or from ethnic or racial minority groups.
For these reasons IFSW urges all nations to abolish the death penalty. IFSW supports the UN resolution 62/149 calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolishing capital punishment.