Abstract
The idea of human rights, although often discussed as if its meaning were self-evident, is, in reality, a complex and contested field. The words ‘human’ and ‘rights’ have been the subject of significant inquiry and debate (Carroll, 2004; Herbert, 2003), so it is little wonder that when the two are brought together the produce a term that is highly problematic. Far from being self-evident, the idea of ‘human rights’ poses some very fundamental questions, about the nature of ‘humanity’, what it means to be ‘human’, about how we treat each other, and about what we can reasonably expect of our fellow humans. These are serious and profound questions, that defy simple answers, yet human rights discourse is often naively simplistic, as if there profound issues about human existence can be understood simply by referring to a human rights convention or a Bill of Rights. If only it were that simple. Readers who may have come to this chapter expecting human rights to provide a clear easy rationale to guide practice will be disappointed. A human rights approach does not provide easy answers. Instead, it asks profound questions of the practitioner.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Ethics and Value Perspectives in Social Work |
Editors | Mel M. Gray, Stephen A. Webb |
Place of Publication | U.K. |
Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan |
Pages | 148-159 |
Number of pages | 12 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780230221451 |
Publication status | Published - 2010 |
Keywords
- human rights
- social justice