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Running head: SOCIAL JUSTICE 0

Imagery in Social Justice

Elizabeth Weeden

Ottawa University

Imagery in Social Justice

Social justice refers to the fair distribution of resources and responsibilities among the members of a population with special emphasis on the position of one group relative to another social group, while taking into consideration the root cause of the disparities. Communication media has a role to play in social justice. Imagery is the best form of communication media in any social justice movement. Often times images will spark interest, evoke empathy and incite action. Several incidences across the globe are propagated through imagery such as the Syrian refugee crisis. The picture of the toddler, who had drowned and washed on shore following the capsizing of his family’s boat, was the image that embodied the price we pay for inaction.

Imagery has also been pivotal in showing how social injustices have been propagated through video streams which are used in cell phones by bystanders. A video that showed unarmed black men being shot at by policemen was the epitome of racism, which is a discriminatory form of social injustice. Such images have sparked public outrage, thereby resulting in protests. Concepts of social justice and human services apply to media and communications in the sense that they instigate social movements. Such movements bring attention to the value and dignity of human life through raising awareness to social injustices. The concept of social justice bears importance even in professional circles (Doree, 2014).

Ethical concerns encountered in social work happen on a daily basis. Financial concerns are usually the root cause for such dilemmas. Striking a balance between confidentiality and the obligation to protect vulnerable people is often times a hard act to pull. To this end, social workers are accountable to their employers and must consequently find equilibrium in their accountability to their employers and their ethics and values with external constraints. At times social workers face conflicts pitting the law against their ethical values. Social workers are people first and in this regard they have personal views. At the center of the ethical difference between personal and professional ethics is the perception that the central objective is helping the client and consequently the choice of the relationship entered is based on effectiveness. On the other hand, in a personal relationship, the notion of using people for selfishly motivated purposes does not meet the threshold of friendship in a personal relationship.

Against this backdrop, ethical concerns or dilemmas can be categorized into three broad perspectives; direct service to people, the design as well as implementation of social welfare policies and programs and the relationships among colleagues. Examples of concerns which involve direct practice involve truth telling, conflicts between laws, and confidentiality in privileged information. According to Hartsell (2006), there elements constitute the basis for decision making; life choice and relationships. He intimates that only the living can make choices, therefor ethical decision making is based on the presence of life. Ethical decisions encompass choices about behaviors in relationships with other people.

The importance of social work lies in its focus on needy situations, which require intervention irrespective of the background of the ones suffering in terms of race, age, gender, sexual orientation or even religious affiliation. It focuses on people who lose out because of the need for housing or financial aid. Being a social worker means not giving up on people simply because they do not fit the profile of bureaucratic categorizations. In this regard, social work helps maintain the social fabric and therefore this is one facet of communities that should not be lacking in any country. Ethical dilemmas need to be exemplified for their potential to seriously injure a practitioner’s confidence, sense of value and ability to continue working (Zavirsek, D.et al. 2010).

References

Hartsell, B. (2006). A model for ethical decision making: the context of ethics. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, Vol. 3 (1).

Doree, A. (2014) Favoritism, not hostility, causes most discrimination, says UW psychology professor.UW Today, University of Washington.

Zavirsek, D.et al. (2010): Ethical dilemmas in social work: international perspective.Ljubljana: Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana.