Essay
Nature of International Social Work 
Social development of Brazil is managed by the Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger. There is also the Economic and Social Development Council that helps in establishing advice for the republic’s president when creating policies. Perhaps the most significant challenge that Brazil faces is caring for its social development needs. Some of these needs include children who lack sufficient education, citizens lacking healthcare, housing and proper nutrition. It is estimated that over one third of the children in Brazil live in absolute poverty. Many children in this country live and work on streets despite their age and thrive hard to meet their basic needs on behalf of their parents. In the streets, the children face deplorable conditions and they are exposed to homelessness. However, most children in streets are said to have their homes and they get back to their homes at night after working in the streets. A large population of Brazilians including street children is reported to abuse drugs because of the poverty they face and other socio-economic issues. Children in the streets are also forced to resort to prostitution and crime just like adults and these are done in order to make a living. Crime and prostitution in Brazil are taken as offences but in real sense they are human rights issues. Racial discrimination in Brazil is pervasive and this makes most Afro-Brazilians to be paid lower wages as compared to others. These Afro-Brazilians also live in houses poorer than those of other Brazilians. The Afro-Brazilians have fewer professional and employment opportunities because of racial discrimination. Within the Amazon, indigenous tribes are threatened increasingly by activities that encroach on their land. These activities include ranching, mining and logging. Races considered to be less important and are discriminated face criminal offences, sexual harassment and reject within their working places. It is reported that serious human rights abuses have taken place in Brazil including torture, beating and killing of detainees by the police. CDES (Economic and Social Development Council) seeks to encompass variables that should build consensus around the development of Brazil. If Brazil gets developed then such issues of poverty, racial discrimination and illiteracy will not exist and may not be heard of again. The development council should take part in the development of Brazil and all processes that will be involved. Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger to help in social development of Brazil in 2004. This Ministry merges with other ministries including Special Ministry of Food and Nutritional Security, Industry Social Service and Ministry of Social Assistance. All the ministries work together in order to help Brazil in its social development.
Section One
Analysis of Target Country (Brazil Violence and Women)
Violence against women particularly domestic violence is a major issue in Brazil. Statistics shows that approximately ten to fifteen women are murdered in Brazil on a daily basis. There is a tendency to blame victims in Brazil as noted by UN Special Rapporteur Leandro Despouy. The government of Brazil and NGO workers mention that majority of criminal complaints often base on domestic violence and most cases are suspended inconclusively. The Brazilian law prohibits domestic violence and therefore the government has taken steps that address specifically violence committed against women and spousal abuse. President Lula even signed the Law of Domestic and Family Violence in August, 7, 2006. This Brazilian law triples punishment that was previously aimed at people who will or may be convicted of crimes related to domestic violence. Moreover, the law presupposes special courts that deal with these cases in all states. It is regarded as the first codification of domestic violence crimes. The Brazilian government takes measures to eliminate violence against women. Each state secretariat within Brazil and public security is made to operate DEAM (delegacies da mulher) for the sake of securing women and families. Each police station is obliged to address exclusively criminal offences against women in Brazil. Quality of services aimed to end violence against women and spousal abuse within Brazil varies widely since their availability is made limited isolated areas. Such stations often provide psychological counseling, hospital treatment and temporary shelter for victims who undergo domestic violence. Help is also given to victims of rape including treatment of HIV/AIDS and other related sexually transmitted diseases. Stations that respond to women violence in Brazil often assist prosecuting criminal cases that are investigated and forwarded with evidence to courts. Ministry of justice in Brazil mentioned that at times most DEAM fell short of required standards and then lacked strategies that would protect victims after their case reports were filled. However, the DEAM still served in order to raise public awareness regarding crime against women in Brazil. There is a toll free hotline that operates in order to address violence complaints about violence against women. Brazilian law also requires health facilities to assist in contacting the police whenever there is a case of a woman who is harmed sexually, physically or psychologically.
- Major Current Geo/Political/Economic /Social /Cultural Trends
Brazil is a country of vast regional differences and economic contrasts. The large number of Brazilians lives in poverty despite abundant natural resources and numerous centers with advanced technology. There are historical factors that explain social and economic inequalities in Brazil including colonialism. Moreover, there are populism reforms, foreign debt, repressive military resources, corruption, unfair trade agreements and democratic reforms. All these factors are connected with social, economic, gender based and age based and other inequalities that ecist in Brazil. Civic and business organizations have been used to develop strategies that encourage social responsibility aimed at poverty alleviation and some governmental policies too. Implications which still present challenges to handle geographical, social, cultural, political and economic trends in Brazil are complex within the context of the country.
Brazil and most countries in the world experience shifts in geographical, political, economic and ideological formations. Rising powers influence such structures, becoming more powerful in political and economic domains. Civil society actors emerge in relation to trends that intersect in the global and national politics in the ongoing global and national politics. Such global politics include gender and sexuality rights in Brazil. Domains of social and political lives have not been adequately addressed by debates held in Brazil. Such discussions should be devoted to intervening and understanding the dynamics of BRICS and IBSA formations. Currently, Brazil has no inspired sexuality policy watch that can act as a forum for global researchers and activists. All the social economic, political and cultural domains of Brazil should invite partners to initiate cross-country efforts that can fill such gaps. There should be better understanding of such gaps and an expansion of these topics to encourage ongoing debates on emerging powers and geopolitics development.
Sexual politics in Brazil have to gain a wider visibility which should take place after massive social mobilization and protests. There are often gang rapes of women and it is unfair to the feminine gender to conceal this fact. Such protests are thus relevant to make Brazilians aware of widespread sexual abuse. Political actions that handle gender and sexual issues must understand in broader contexts in order for the courts get involved in handling sexual issues. Brazil is in the trajectory of gender and sexuality and the politics involved have been extensively documented. The past and present in Brazil have seen the intensification of political skirmishes together with encounters that revolve around gender and matters of sexuality. In 2010, abortion and same sex marriage had been central topics during presidential elections. Besides, the sexual topics which flared up in 2014 campaigns once again are still politicized to date. Legal gains were registered and prohibitionists of legal proposals for abortion handled a number of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV related ones. Cultural geography in Brazil reveals abundant water, animal and plant resources as well as security towers. Communication in this vast region may not be easy and that is why at times issues of gender are considered unachievable.
- Major Social Development and Human Rights Challenges (Brazil and Social Work)
Brazil is known to promote number of actions that help in advancing and defending human rights. The country faces enormous social an economic inequalities which makes the discussion of social development and human rights require a technical discussion. A challenge in handling social development and human rights involves lack of expression. There is a lack of expressive understanding of universality and indivisibility of civil, social, political, cultural and economic rights. This form of challenge exists in this country despite its influential actions in both regional and global affairs. In the current Brazil, predatory models of development dominate and it utilizes large scale infrastructure for its projects. Educative projects for making people to understand universality and indivisibility of rights are not made essential. People still do not know that human rights are universal and apply to everyone. Citizens of rural and remote areas do not know they are entitled to the same rights as other prominent people. Those individuals assume that better people are the ones endowed with human rights. Hence they should be educated that all people are equal.
Another social development and human rights challenge facing Brazil is difficulties in exercising citizenship. Most citizens in Brazil still face the difficulty of exercising their citizenship and basic rights. There are social factors that are involved in human rights issues either directly or indirectly. In Brazil, the social work application has done its best to make people exercise their basic rights and citizenship. Nonetheless, there is a sophisticated problem of empowerment of people’s ability to exercise their citizenship. UNESCO understands that organizations can contribute to citizenship promotion and its practice. When citizens of Brazil are not at a position to exercise their citizenship, they may not consolidate democracy which makes injustices to increase. In this case, lack of equality in practice of human rights creates a deficit of widespread access to security and justice. Brazil should make advancements that strengthen culture of human rights and peace.
Reality of development in Brazil is hidden in from international communities. This is a challenge for social development and human rights practice because it leads to the violations of human rights. Within the borders of hegemonic and nationalist discourse, the mega projects in Brazil’s development are not allowed to be questioned. Brazil is hiding the reality of development at the cost of violations of human rights and this is hidden from the eyes of international organizations and communities. Brazil’s major outlets of the media assume that mega projects can lead to recrimination when questioned. The outside view on the projects discloses that they produce only benefits of income and employment for the Brazilian population. In sober fact, this is false and most projects undermine human rights either by exploitation or rejection. International bodies such as UNESCO and UNHRC that can help to cater for rights issues often exceed acceptable rules, only creating the external image that Brazilians are doing well. Social work personnel who can help in improving lives of Brazilian citizens based on developmental issues and human rights are also not allowed to interfere.
Section Two
Assessment of Personal Potential for International Social Work
The personal potential for social work should involve improvement of relations and skills in value performance. In order for and individual to practice international social work, he should be employ to employ ethical principles in order to inform and communicate judgments based on the profession. Furthermore, one should be able to engage in diversity and research-informed practices, advance rights of people, apply human behavior knowledge based on social environment, consider policy practices, evaluate families and groups and respond to context shaping practices. Practice behaviors of an international social worker should advocate for clients and their services to social work, attend to professional boundaries and roles and engage in career learning. It is important as a social worker who would intend to practice the profession at an international level to demonstrate professional demeanor within different forms of communication, interacting with different people and seeing how people appear so that consultation and supervision can give good practice behaviors. When applying ethical principles that guide professional practice, a potential international social worker should be able to recognize and manage personal values. It should be handled in a way that allows professional values to help in guiding practice. It is also important to make ethical decisions and correspond to the standards of National Association of Social Workers and its ethics to handle principles perfectly. International social worker must also be able to tolerate ambiguity in order to resolve ethical conflicts. One should also be able to apply strategies that harbor ethical reasoning, arriving at principled decision. For an individual to apply critical thinking in informing and communicating professional judgments, the social worker must be keen. It is essential that the social worker distinguishes multiple sources of knowledge to apply critical thinking while communicating and informing professional judgments. There should also be analyzing of assessment, prevention, intervention and evaluation models. As an intended international social worker there should be demonstration of effective written and oral communication in order to work with many persons. Such persons include families, groups, communities, organizations, colleagues and individuals. International social work practice should also give knowledge and ability for understanding cultures, communication, personal engagement, forms of oppression and discrimination, advocacy of human rights and social and economic justices. Practically, an international social worker would asses’ skills in engaging practical experience for scientific inquiry, use of evidence from researches to inform practice and application of knowledge in order to understand a person and the environment.
- Reflect on optimal training and preparation for your issue engagement
- Discuss key learning outcomes from international issue investigation
There should be optimal training and preparation for the issues that are handled in order to end violence against women in Brazil. First, cultural sensitivity towards the issue must be considered. It is imperative that social workers when dealing with any issues in the community become aware about the cultural peculiarities of their clients. When learning about cultures of clients, it is good to be aware of influence of a particular culture about how the culture on their behaviors. Clients’ values, behaviors and beliefs are also influenced by their culture and people around. For me to manage issues of domestic and women violence in Brazil, I must be culturally competent as a social worker. Becoming culturally competent needs an ability to integrate awareness, skills and knowledge and maintain a positive working relationship with clients.
Shared values become essential in handling violence and women abuse creating a successful relationship between the social worker and the client. It is favorable to learn values in the contemporary practice of social work, which not only assists clients but also creates a cohesive society. Ethics and values do permeate in the entire practice of social work and the society involved. Values afford a high position within social work, which explains why it is permitted as professional activity. Values learned from handling social work issues such as domestic violence in should elucidate practices and prescribe to responsibilities within the profession.
Rules of engagement in practice of social work to solve domestic violence and other common issues should be learned. Solving such issues of violence is regarded as one of the most important parts when working with clients. Coady and Lehman consider engagement to implement the first four steps when it comes to solving problems in social work. When learning about engagement, it is advisable to start discussing the problem over the phone just before the meeting. Referral notifications for clients can also be a first part of studying engagement processes. Issues of engagement ensure the social worker becomes aware of the client’s background including circumstances and ecology. It is a crucial stage of problem solving since the social worker reveals thoughts and beliefs of the customer. Both the client and social worker must be position able to understand each other through engagement to interrelate perfectly. Further optimal trainings for issue management should include welfare to work programs, history and practice of social work methods, critical thinking, and case study itself focusing on cultural competency. There should also be social work and development of a child, interests and journeys to social work considered for training.
Investigation of the international issue of violence has led to many positive learning outcomes. Good practice of public health is a learning outcome based on handling the issue of domestic abuse and violence against women in Brazil. Public health practice describes behaviors that form attitudes towards professional practice and behaviors that promote public health. There should be ethical management of professionalism in order for public health practice to be successful. Sexual violence is common for women in Brazil since most of the acts are committed by men. Actions that violate people sexually reduce public health and significantly. Sexual abuse affects the body hygiene increasing chances of contracting sexually transmitted disease for both victim and offender. Attaining health behaviors encourages promotion of public health and prevention of diseases. Proper public health is then a learning outcome, which reduces the cases of violence.
Another learning outcome connected with violence and abuse of women is the intelligence in handling social issues. Importantly, social workers acquire intelligence that can be used in handling social related issues as well as medically related issues. Social workers obtain their knowledge from a wide range of specific intelligence sources that include relevance and quality of specific circumstances. Social workers experience and enrichment of skills are learning outcomes which instigate valued decisions. Practitioners then obtain skills due to working with senior managements, being able to understand systems of intelligence. Intelligence can be used for implementing and evaluating policies to determine whether contributions are valuable or valueless.
Conclusion
International social work practice aimed at handling violence against women as well as domestic abuse is ensures the laws of the country are not misapplied in protecting individuals. The government of Brazil implements laws that should ensure sensitization of training people in the judicial places. In order to address issues that relate to violence in Brazil, international social work pledges to an improved access to justice. The justice sought should protect vulnerable women and domestic violence survivors through elimination of unaffordable court fees. Brazilian authorities together with social work practitioners allow to collect analyze and regularly disseminate regularly the national data that is concentrated on violence. Prevalence in violence against girls and women is exploited to obtain more data that can help in solving issues related to violence. Attention also paid to causes and consequences facilitating national action plans to all partners who cooperate in handling violence issues.
