Critical Proposals in Social Work

Fairness Dimension in Policies for Reparations for Human Rights Violations. An analysis of the Chilean case

2023-09-22T13:55:20+00:00

The normative or classical notion of Transitional Justice has been questioned to defend a transformative justice, in which lies a valuable potential for reparation. This paper aims to analyse the dimension of "fairness" that underlies Chile's reparation policy for human rights violations derived from the Reports of the Truth Commissions and materialized in a series of symbolic and material measures aimed at addressing the consequences of political violence on survivors and their families. Through a review of documents and bibliography, we delimit what is understood by justice in the field of Transitional Justice and what is understood by justice, specifically regarding reparation policies. The case of the Chilean reparation policy as a response to the crimes against humanity committed during the 1973-1990 civil-military dictatorship is analysed. It defends the need to move towards a non-regulatory model of justice which, in addition to satisfying the demand for retributive justice of a significant proportion of the direct victims, also repairs indirect victims and acts as a preventive measure, helping to reduce segregation, inequalities and social polarisation; in short, a way to move towards greater levels of democracy, social justice and a culture of peace.

Rescue and Promotion of Memories: Reflections from the Investigative Work of Social Work.

2023-08-29T20:04:50+00:00

This article identifies and develops the central moments that, from my point of view, occur in the development of a line of research from social work in the field of human rights and memories. This is based on three initiatives for the collection, rescue and dissemination of these memories in which I have been able to collaborate by assuming a coordinating role. These are related to the experiences of the victims of the military civil dictatorship that occurred between 1973 and 1989, linked to the Paine and Cerro Chena episode (communes located in the southern part of the Metropolitan Region) as well as those who were students and graduates of the Social Service career. From this exercise, it is expected to contribute with a reflection that makes it possible to socialize approaches and some learning and challenges of the research work, which allow us to move towards a critical and situated reflection that enriches our professional work in this field of study.

Lights and Shadows of Social Work in Francoist Dictator: A Story Yet to Be Toldship (Spain, 1939-1975):

2023-12-18T20:53:39+00:00

The differences between the Francoist dictatorship (Spain, 1939-1975) and the dictatorships that, like the Chilean (1973-1990), devastated Latin America in the second half of the 20th century are evident and numerous. Even in terms of time, when the Coup d'état in Chile took place 50 years ago, the long Spanish dictatorship was already in a process of disintegration in which the natural death of the dictator in 1975 triggered the democratic transition. However, both were established through fierce political repression and have become known worldwide in recent decades for the networks of appropriation of babies from families opposed to the regime for their adoption by families aligned with it. However, in the literature on the history of social work in Spain there is a great “silence” around these topics and there is a clearly predominant narrative focused almost exclusively on the “lights” of the history of the profession (milestones, achievements and aspirations). Although this approach can be understood taking into account the historical context in which the social work profession in the country had to develop among many difficulties, and from "the spirit of the transition", this article will argue that it becomes fundamental nowadays to look back and investigate “the shadows” and recesses of the history of this profession, too. Exploring these shadows will reveal episodes of which we will not be proud, but also stories of brave resistance. More importantly, it will help social work in Spain to better understand itself (including its dangerous potential) and to take its place in the processes of recovery of historical memory and reconciliation, both within the profession and at the service of society, in accordance with its ethical commitment to human rights and social justice

Social Work Collective: a reflexive bet in times of dictatorship

2023-11-27T13:35:17+00:00

The Social Work Collective was a professional association that generated an alternative space for reflection and critical action to rethink Social Work in times of civil-military dictatorship. In this article, we want to recover the experience in the key of historical reconstruction to account for a common narrative that allows us to connect with our disciplinary past-present, through the testimonies of those who formed this collective. Methodologically, we have approached the Social Work Collective through testimonial interviews of its members and the analysis of secondary sources, particularly the personal archives of those who formed it. We rescued the experience of the Collective, giving account of the scenario from where it emerges, emphasizing its collective logic, its written production as a space for reflection and professional communication, as well as the way in which these elements are intertwined from the different professional trajectories. We seek to account for the functioning of this group, whose ways of being and doing Social Work we have called "the collective of the Collective".

Territorios que ensordecen gritos de desaparición forzada. Vulnerabilidad, resiliencia y ¿Trabajo Social?

2023-11-27T13:07:07+00:00

The disappearance of people in Mexico, for just over fifteen years, has grown worryingly, there is currently a record of more than 111,000 missing persons. This phenomenon generates serious consequences for relatives of those who have disappeared, it disrupts them psychologically due to the ambiguous loss and the impossibility of experiencing a mourning process. This article presents an analysis that arises from the qualitative research work carried out during the years 2019-2020 with relatives of disappeared persons in the states of Guerrero and Veracruz, which aimed to deepen the vulnerability experienced in these territories and the alternatives of resilience in people , groups and collectives during the searches of those who have disappeared. The findings discussed here make it possible to analyze the various challenges to develop relevant social work based on the needs aimed at building resilience alternatives to the phenomenon of disappearance in territories where impunity and serious violations of human rights is a constant; In this direction, an analysis based theoretically on vulnerability and resilience is presented, as well as on the pending exercise of social work. The following are exposed: various situations that the families of disappeared persons face under territories of violence and impunity and the bases that support the opportunity to develop social work aimed at strengthening resilience processes in cases of forced disappearance.

The student connections of Social Work at the Catholic University of Valparaíso with the working classes (1967-1973)

2023-12-11T11:47:30+00:00

The article reports on the relationship of the Social Work students of the UCV with the popular classes of Valparaíso during the Latin American Reconceptualization Movement. The premise proposes that in the period studied (1967-1973), a process of approximation of the students of Social Work of the UCV with the popular classes took place due to the intensification of the country’s socio-political contradictions, outside the University. The objective of the article is to characterize the relationship between UCV's TS students and the popular classes, for which two types of sources were considered: students' theses and an interview with Vicente Faleiros, professor of the School during the period studied. Two periods are identified (1967-1969 and 1970-1973), analyzed from three dimensions that account for the elements that condition the relationship, namely: the political conformation of the student body, its theoretical-methodological positions, and practical-interventive relationships. The results show that, during the first period, the student body was interested in the answers to the problems of the popular classes, motivating the search for new references to understand reality; important are the developmentalist and marginality theories, which are coherent with the observed tendency towards a more tutelary role oriented towards greater participation and integration of the popular classes within society. During the second period, the student body was politicized in more radical terms and, from horizontality, sought to develop perspectives of collaboration and co-construction; theoretically influenced by classical Marxism and dependency theory, the student body oriented its reflection and action depending on the interests of the popular classes, intensifying the relationship with respect to the first stage. We conclude with a discussion about the study's scope, limits, and projections.

Snippets of professional memory from Chilean Social Work

2024-04-11T15:57:27+00:00

Testigos de una época 1

2024-04-12T23:38:06+00:00

Daniela Sánchez Stürmer's conversation in November 2023 with students and academics from the Department of Social Work at the University of Chile, as part of the activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the coup d'état in Chile.

Testigos de una época 2

2024-04-12T22:56:02+00:00

Entrevista realizada a Susana Cazzaniga, en septiembre de 2023, por Katia Marro y Víctor Orellana para la Revista Propuestas Críticas en Trabajo Social, en el marco de las actividades de la conmemoración de los 50 años de Golpe de Estado en Chile.

Testigos de una época 3

2024-04-16T21:23:48+00:00

Interview with Juan Tito Méndez, in April 2023, by the editor of the journal Propuestas Críticas en Trabajo Social, as part of the activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the coup d'état in Chile.

ocial Work, Political Project, and Human Rights

2024-04-19T23:37:15+00:00

In 2023, fifty years since the coup d'état in Chile were commemorated. September 1973 marks the abrupt end of the "Chilean road to socialism" and, with it, the Movement for the Reconceptualization of Chilean Social Work, ushering in the civilian-military dictatorship. To commemorate this event, the Department of Social Work at the University of Chile invited students, academics, and staff to reflect on that historical transition, to bring the memory of those who witnessed those processes to the new generations, to learn from their testimonies, both from Social Work during the final years of the Popular Unity government and from the spaces of resistance to military repression, with an important objective: to keep their voices alive, to learn from their fears, from their dreams, and to draw lessons to ensure the non-repetition of the serious human rights violations that occurred during the Chilean civilian-military dictatorship.

Consequences experienced by women survivors of human trafficking in South Africa

2024-04-24T14:32:36+00:00

Trafficking of women for domestic and sexual exploitation has devastating consequences for women survivors rescued in South Africa. Empirical findings revealed that women survivors of human trafficking (WSHT) suffer and endure intense and unspeakable traumatic physical, sexual, psychological, economic and social experiences. Trafficked women are denied fundamental human rights, including basic and broadly accepted individual freedoms. The article discusses a qualitative research study designed to explore the perceptions of women survivors concerning the consequences experienced by WSHT using one-on-one semi-structured interviews conducted in residential shelters for women in Gauteng province, South Africa. Recommendations are suggested regarding support for WSHT.