Psychologists in different tributaries of the discipline have long been preoccupied with aspects of 'Justice', but none previously has addressed the essential question raised in this book - namely of justice being as vital to the essentials of life and to the flowering of the human spirit as other basic needs. The same can be said for academics and practitioners in other disciplines in social science, as well as those in mental health and psychiatry. Although lawyers might come close to accepting the proposition, it seems to me that in the main their professional expertise is directed to the superficial maintenance of systems of justice rather than to the underlying reasons for doing so. This book, arising from academic, clinical, empirical, and theoretical studies, goes the further mile by giving justice its proper place in the hierarchy of basic human needs. It is designed in accord with a general systems theory in which contributions are welcomed from international scholars and researchers in different domains of knowledge. Above all, it is written in the hope of inducing others to share a commitment to justice and do their utmost to prevent injustice.

Social workers take pride in their commitment to social and economic justice, peace, and human rights, and in their responses to related inequalities and social problems. At a time when economic globalization, armed conflict, and ecological devastation continue to undermine human rights and the possibilities for social justice, the need for linking a structural analysis to social work practice is greater than ever. The second edition of this popular social work practice text more fully addresses the connection between social justice and human rights. It includes a discussion of social work's role in promoting peace and responding to environmental problems. It also places a greater attention on the links between social work theories/concepts and practice skill/responses. The text has been updated and revised throughout with four new chapters: social work and human rights, cultural competence and practice with immigrant communities, social work and mental health communities, and practice with couples and families. Detailed case studies demonstrate the integration of theory, policy, and practice.

For most people in rural South Africa, traditional justice mechanisms provide the only feasible means of accessing any form of justice. These mechanisms are popularly associated with restorative justice, reconciliation and harmony in rural communities. Yet, this ethnographic study grounded in the political economy of rural South Africa reveals how historical conditions and contemporary pressures have strained these mechanisms’ ability to deliver the high normative ideals with which they are notionally linked. In places such as Msinga access to justice is made especially precarious by the reality that human insecurity – a composite of physical, social and material insecurity – is high for both ordinary people and the authorities who staff local justice forums; cooperation is low between traditional justice mechanisms and the criminal and social justice mechanisms the state is meant to provide; and competition from purportedly more effective ‘twilight institutions’, like vigilante associations, is rife. Further contradictions are presented by profoundly gendered social relations premised on delicate social trust that is closely monitored by one’s community and enforced through self-help measures like witchcraft accusations in a context in which violence is, culturally and practically, a highly plausible strategy for dispute management. These contextual considerations compel us to ask what justice we can reasonably speak of access to in such an insecure context and what solutions are viable under such volatile human conditions? The book concludes with a vision for access to justice in rural South Africa that takes seriously ordinary people’s circumstances and traditional authorities’ lived experiences as documented in this detailed study. The author proposes a cooperative governance model that would maximise the resources and capacity of both traditional and state justice apparatus for delivering the legal and social justice – namely, peace and protection from violence as well as mitigation of poverty and destitution – that rural people genuinely need.

This book is a compendium of emergent global Human Rights Scholarship offering current ruminations on justice, indigeneity, gender, security, and human rights. This edited collection examines Access to Justice, Allyship and Equality, Human Rights and Social Justice, the Rights of Indigenous People, Indigenous Rights and the University, Transgender Healthcare, Femicide, Women Workers, Extremism and Misogyny, Human Rights and Aging, cyberwarfare, climate change.

Water is a matter of life and death. Advanced technology and engineering enable humans to gain better access to it. Nonetheless, the conditions and effort required to reach this goal remain colossal in many countries. Building a lasting infrastructure for adequate treatment before and after use is costly. Therefore, the author believes that a radical change of thinking among people around the world, from the domestic to the large-scale users, becomes a priority. Even if the United Nations entitles all people to justice for water, more responsible and ethical use of it by all interested parties is more important than the spreading of promises, which, in practice, may turn out to be a sham. Only a better understanding that access to water rests on the efforts of everyone, without exception, will reduce overuse, waste, and pollution of the indispensable resource. This volume, while written from a theological, philosophical, and legal perspective (focusing on John Calvin, John Rawls, and Paul Ricoeur), demonstrates that water cannot be merely understood as a human right, but also has to be dealt with from an economic point of view as well as under the authority of the Golden Rule.

Human Rights and Social Justice: Key Issues and Vulnerable Populations is a comprehensive text that focuses on central issues of human rights and justice and links them directly with social work competencies and practice. Drawing attention to oppression and multiple forms of disadvantage and discrimination based on a person’s identity and social location, this volume develops an integrated framework to advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice with vulnerable populations and communities across all three levels of practice. Each chapter, written by leading scholars in their respective fields, is designed to enhance students’ awareness, knowledge, and understanding of key theories and issues related to diversity, human rights, and equity. Broken into sections providing theory, practice, and case study illustrations, the chapters will first explain and argue that each person, regardless of their position in society, has basic human rights. Students will then see how these knowledges translate into practice through clear and engaging cases that reinforce skills and behaviors that social workers may use to advocate for human rights and ensure that they are distributed equitably and without prejudice. Providing a broad overview of social justice and rights-based challenges and connecting theory to the profession’s core competencies, this book is an excellent companion for social work students and faculty engaged in foundation and advanced courses in practice with individuals, groups, and communities and diversity and oppression.

Offering a unique perspective that views human rights as the foundation of social justice, Joseph Wronka’s groundbreaking Human Rights and Social Justice outlines human rights and social justice concerns as a powerful conceptual framework for policy and practice interventions for the helping and health professions. This highly accessible, interdisciplinary text urges the creation of a human rights culture as a “lived awareness” of human rights principles, including human dignity, nondiscrimination, civil and political rights, economic, social, and cultural rights, and solidarity rights. The Second Edition includes numerous social action activities and questions for discussion to help scholars, activists, and practitioners promote a human rights culture and the overall well-being of populations across the globe.

Human dignity: social movements invoke it, several national constitutions enshrine it, and it features prominently in international human rights documents. But what is it, why is it important, and what is its relationship to human rights and social justice? Pablo Gilabert offers a systematic defense of the view that human dignity is the moral heart of justice. In Human Dignity and Human Rights (OUP 2019), he advanced an account of human dignity for the context of human rights discourse, which covers the most urgent, basic claims of dignity. This book extends the dignitarian approach to more ambitious claims of maximal dignity of the kind encoded in democratic socialist conceptions of social justice. In particular, this book focuses on the just organization of working practices. It recasts in a dignitarian format the critique of capitalist society as involving exploitation, alienation, and domination of workers, and revamps a neglected but inspiring socialist principle. In its dignitarian interpretation, the Abilities/Needs Principle ("From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs!") yields reasonable and feasible requirements on social cooperation so that it solidaristically empowers each human being to lead a flourishing life. While Human Dignity and Human Rights offered the first systematic account of human dignity in human rights discourse, Human Dignity and Social Justice presents the first systematic application of the dignitarian framework to the core ideals of democratic socialism.

Winner of the "Outstanding Academic Title" recognition by Choice for the 2020 OAT Awards. The Choice OAT Award represents the highest caliber of scholarly titles that have been reviewed by Choice and conveys the extraordinary recognition of the academic community. Advancing Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice through Human Systems Engineering highlights how scholars and practitioners of HSE (inclusively defined to span many fields) can apply their theories and methods to understand and support healthy communities, include and empower diverse populations, and inspire strategies for a more inclusive future. This volume brings together experts from human factors, ergonomics, psychology, human-computer interaction, and more to demonstrate how these fields can be applied to societal challenges and solutions. Through a blend of research reports, literature reviews, and personal narratives, this volume explores these issues from the individual to the global scale, across diverse populations, and across multiple continents. Features Draws upon human factors and ergonomics theories and methods to evaluate, understand, and confront systemic threats to inclusion and social justice Offers actionable methodologies, strategies, and recommendations for conducting human-centered research, design, and training with marginalized or vulnerable populations Offers a venue for reporting and reconsidering the work of human factors and ergonomics from the perspectives of diversity, inclusion, and social justice