Refugee Perspective of International Social Work

Historical Context of International Social Work With Refugees After WWII in Europe, a large group of people were left without a country Under the United Nations, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established in 1951 to work with the refugee problem The UNHCR is now represented in every country and its offices act as the embassy for the refugee within the country

Challenges for International Social Work Practice Refugees are not a new phenomenon, but in the recent past a number of man-made refugee-producing disasters have exacerbated the problem Refugees are persons who have been uprooted in a harsh and brutal manner that deprives them of their political identity, shatters their social structures, mutilates them emotionally, and strips them of their basic human dignity While the physical hardships of uprooting get attention, the psychological trauma is seldom addressed since it is not as visible or tangible

The Structure and Function of UNCHR Practice Work with refugees involves working in interdisciplinary teams and assuming multiple roles, such as community organizer, mediator, advocate, counselor, and therapist In addition to monitoring the immediate need for food, shelter, and basic health, roles typically involve both political and humanitarian activities

The Humanitarian Response: A Theoretical Framework for Service Delivery The humanitarian response of UNHCR is founded on sound social work and social development values: Dignity and worth of the individual The capacity of the person to change The right to social justice Equitable distribution of resources The right to quality of life and improvement of circumstance

Emergency Response: A Survival Model The community approach has been identified as effective, particularly if the process is introduced in the early phases of the refugee emergency UNHCR has developed an emergency response which, while bringing aid to refugees, also focuses on self-help schemes

Community-Based Response: A Sustainable Development Model Phase one: assessment, planning, and developing guidelines Phase two: foundation setting Phase three: building capacity and community

Traditional Solutions Repatriation- assisting refugees to go home and restart their lives Local integration- assisting refugees to settle in the country which has given them asylum Resettlement- relocating refugees to other countries from their first country of asylum

In Search of New Solutions A mediational approach to the problem, involving a close working relationship with their national governments, seems to be the best way of ensuring human rights, physical safety, and a resolution to the refugee problem The long-term solutions which have to be addressed are reconstruction of damaged property, roads, water supplies, and other measures for sustenance and nation rebuilding

Resources and Helping Partnerships UNHCR utilizes both human and material resources through governmental departments and agencies which are in key positions to determine their country’s approach to refugees and through nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and volunteers, so that the international scenario takes on the nature of a large community UNHCR’s ultimate objective in engaging the cooperation of NGOs is to eventually enable them to take over the refugee work within their country

Training of Volunteers and Workers Training of volunteers is designed to bring persons together for a common purpose On-the-spot in-service training and sharing of experience has been found to be the best method to test out concepts Refugee power is also utilized in constructive community building

Special Focus on Vulnerable Groups Woman-headed households Unaccompanied minors The disabled, elderly, and those without family support The mentally ill