Human Rights Introduction Forum des droits de la personne Introduction

Today, in 2018, we face a human rights crisis. Human rights abuses are so widespread that we are in danger of becoming complacent or immobilized. Threats to civil liberties and life are evident in the deaths of young black men in cities across North America; the dismissal of Indigenous lands and disregard for environmental impact evident at Sandy Rock, and in the Trudeau government’s stance on Kinder Morgan; escalating gender-based violence by Incels (Involuntary Celibates, Futrelle, 2018) and MRAs (Men’s Rights Movement); and the erosion of democracy starkly evident in the Trump presidency. These events all signal a threat to common humanity and global citizenship. Social work as a profession is compelled to respond. The Canadian Social Work Review will be hosting two Forums on Human Rights beginning with this volume and continuing into our fall publication. Our intent is to initiate dialogue amongst social workers, students, and academics on the topic of human rights, to bring the focus front and centre to our practices, promoting advocacy and action in envisioning equitable communities. The contributors represent the various caucuses of the Canadian Association for Social Work Education - Association canadienne pour la formation en travail social (CASWE-ACFTS) and as such address specific equity-seeking groups for whom social workers seek social justice. Within this edition of the Forum we have three contributions, one by Nick J. Mulé, chair of the Queer Caucus, entitled ‘Human Rights Questioned: A Queer Perspective’ within which a progressive queer lens to human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, 2-spirit, queer, questioning and intersex (LGBTQI) people is explored. Mulé calls for ‘a society committed to liberation’ recognizing the limitations of our rights-based legal system. Within this “society all are free to embrace the sexual orientation, gender identity or expression of their choosing and accept people’s sexual characteristics.” Wanda Thomas Bernard, Canadian Senator and Professor Emerita and Holly Smith are the second contributors with their paper entitled ‘Injustice, Justice and Africentric Practice in Canada.’ The authors call attention to a human rights violation through their focus on the school to prison pipeline. This refers to systemic discrimination towards African-Canadian youth that begins with racist practices in the education system and results in their over-representation in the corrections system. The authors illustrate how Africentric practices can be used to dismantle this systemic racism through individual, community and institutional intervention. The third contribution is from Judy E. MacDonald, co-chair of the Persons with Disability Caucus, entitled ‘(dis)Ability Rights: A Forgotten Claim.’ Within this paper the author highlights the progression of (dis)Ability rights over the past half century, most notably the inclusion of person with disabilities in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) and the more recent creation of provincial policies on accessibility (Ontario, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia). At the same time, the author illustrates that much work remains to be done, particularly with respect to poverty, housing and violence against (dis)Abled persons. The rights of people with (dis)Abilities cannot be fully recognized until they are assured full-citizenship, with widespread access and inclusion. It is notable that contributors to this Forum have adopted an intersectional approach to human rights, highlighting the significance of not only sexual orientation and gender expression (Mulé), racialization (Thomas Bernard and Smith), and (dis)Abilities (MacDonald), but also gender, class, and Indigenous status, for example. In doing so, they demonstrate the universality of human rights as a social good to be upheld by social workers and vigorously defended in these trying times. Nous faisons face, en 2018, à une crise des droits de la personne. Les violations des droits de la personne sont si communes …