World Social Work Day

Monday, 14 March 2016, 3:03 pm
Press Release: Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers

World Social Work Day

Karen Shepherd, and Anaru Gray, President and Tumuaki of Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) says ANZASW will be celebrating Work Social Work Day on Tuesday 15 March 2016. This day acknowledges the work done around the world by social workers working toward human rights, social justice and environmental sustainability globally. Social work practice spans a range of activities including various forms of therapy and counselling, group and family work, and community work; policy formulation and analysis; and advocacy and political interventions. In Aotearoa New Zealand, social workers can be found advocating for better and appropriate housing, reduction in inequalities, reduction in family violence and access to services for disadvantaged communities. They work in child protection, women’s refuges, community agencies, foodbanks and in our military and police amongst a great many other organisations.

The theme for World Social Work day this year is “Promoting dignity and worth of peoples”. This is the second goal of the Global Agenda 2012 to 2016 set by the International Federation of Social Workers, International Association of Schools of Social Work and the International Council on Social Welfare. This global agenda has set the task of: Promoting social and economic equalities; Promoting dignity and worth of peoples; Working towards environmental sustainability and strengthening the importance of human relationships.

Social workers all around the globe are working with individuals, families, communities, governments and whole of society to support a move towards a more socially just and environmentally sustainable world, where all people can live with dignity. Over recent months this work has included protest against the TPP, due to a belief that this disadvantages the sovereignty of nations, and will have a lasting impact on indigenous populations around the world, and in particular in New Zealand with concerns of the impact of the TPP on the tino rangitiratanga of Tangata Whenua.

ENDS

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