Do the Obligations of Codes of Ethics Comport with the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights Principles?
How do the ethical principles to which social workers are obliged to adhere correspond to the principles of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UD)? Can social work practitioners advance the human rights agenda by identifying human rights violations and issues within their practice purviews and taking appropriate action to address such violations? Can abstract ideas be translated into practical, applied actions if social workers are made conscious of and educated to human rights principles?
The author’s paper examines the intersection of the UD principles and the principles of six codes of ethics representing professional societies of social work: the Code of Ethics/Canada, the Declaration of Ethics/India, the International Federation of Social Workers’ Ethics Principles and Standards, Social Workers Code of Ethics/Netherlands, Code of Ethics/New Zealand, and Code of Ethics/USA. The codes differ in levels of abstraction, comprehensiveness, and cultural content. The levels of agreement with the UD are identified and differences described. Questions are articulated regarding whether a professional practitioner who regularly faces ethical dilemmas can honor the obligation to accord moral rights, i.e., justice, to all persons when constrained by competing sources of authority, scarce resources, and socially determined rights of clients. But social work, among the professions-with the possible exception of law, may bring the most immediate opportunity to observe and act on human rights violations. Further, if there is minimal validation or support of human rights principles by a national government, is it reasonable to expect a professional practitioner to subscribe to such a mission and to take action?
The presentation will address the concordance between the various professional codes of ethics and the UD principles with an aim to projecting an agenda for social workers’ heightened awareness and activism in advancing human rights within the fields of social work practice.