Human Rights Week
The Faculty of Applied Social Sciences organizes a themed week around Human Rights Day
The human rights week will be held at the beginning of December at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt.
Background of Humans Right Week
On 10 December 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, also in the aftermath of the appalling events of the Second World War. Thus a charter was created, in which basic rights for every human being were defined, in the alert consciousness, what humans can do to each other. Institutions around the world refer to the principles written down almost 70 years ago. They legitimize their mission to create a world in which people, free from fear and need, have freedom of speech and faith. This is associated with a commitment to fundamental judicial rights, to economic, social and cultural rights, and to political and intellectual freedoms.
Already by its definition, Social Work is a human rights profession. The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) demand: The teaching, practice and research of Social Work must commit itself completely and unambiguously to the promotion and protection of human rights and to the satisfaction of fundamental social needs (United Nations, p. 3).
Practitioners face the task to reduce human misery and to ensure the development of human resources and freedom. One crucial point that needs to be taught in every training facility for social work is to sensitize students and practitioners to human right issues and to train them how to deal with those issues (United Nations 2002, p. 7).
The Human Rights Week of the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences is designed to encourage students, practitioners and scientists to:
- consciously act within the framework of human rights when it comes to choosing values and to decision making
- delve into tasks, questions and dilemmas arising from the conscious relation between Social Sciences and the human rights profession
- have a critical view on actions as well as the history of the profession in order to uncover and stop the violation and ignorance of human rights in professional contexts
A lot of teachers and professors of the faculty, coming from different departments, as well committed students are working together to organize the human rights week. Everyone is invited to join!
Contact persons: Prof. Dr. Ralph-Christian Amthor, Prof. Dr. Theresia Wintergerst, Prof. Dr. Oliver Bertsche