WELCOME TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS RESOURCE CENTER, SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY AT CARBONDALE

Recent policy statements by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) and National Association of Social Workers (NASW) emphasize the need to educate social work students and professionals about human rights. For example, CSWE, the organization responsible for accrediting schools of social work, has issued Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards requiring that social work curricula integrate social and economic justice content within the context of distributive justice, human and civil rights and global interconnections of oppression (EPA). An NASW policy statement maintains that human rights and social work are natural allies and urges social workers to promote human rights, especially as they relate to vulnerable populations (NASW, 2003p. 212).

Currently, while human rights occupy a major role within social work in educational standards and policy statements, actual knowledge of human rights among social work educators and professionals appears limited. A Human Rights Center focused on social work could provide a valuable service in assisting educators, students and professionals learn more about human rights.

The purpose of the Human Rights Center within the SIUC School of Social Work is primarily one of assisting in the teaching and learning of human rights within a social work context.

The Center for Human Rights Education :

~ Provides resources on topics concerning human rights and social work;
~ Promotes involvement by students, educators, and community figures within areas of human rights
~ The Center would organizes workshops, panel discussions, films, lectures, and other activities relating to human rights issues