Human rights education in social work in Africa

Abstract

Social work is a human rights profession and assumes that human rights are embedded in social work practice and education. However, in Africa where human rights violations are rife, with severe implications for social work practice and education, thus far, a human rights focus in social work education has not yet received the attention it deserves. A critical analysis of human rights education in social work in Africa in the context of decolonisation and development shows the interrelatedness of human rights and human development, which, in turn, informs the learning content of the social work curriculum and pedagogy of human rights in social work. Social work educators in Africa are encouraged to take up the challenge of adopting and integrating a pedagogy that will fast-track the infusion of human rights values in the social work curriculum.