CSW58: A Social Work Perspective

After two full days at CSW 58, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in sessions from a variety of NGO’s, members of civil society, groups, and nations that have each put forth their own expectations and values. However, as a social work student I have been particularly aware of the focus many of these groups have placed on the value and importance of meeting communities where they are, providing informed consent, and having cultural competency.

At one of my favorite sessions so far, a side event to highlight “Vision 2020” a new report put out by the International Planned Parenthood Federation that discussed the crucial role of sexual and reproductive health and rights in the post-2015 framework, something Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, one of the panelists and the ED of UNFPA, said stood out to me. He said that when working with communities internationally to address issues that negatively affect women and girls, like child marriage, it was important to reach out to community leaders and “not talk down to them.”

As social workers, we are taught the importance of respecting different communities and meeting clients (individuals or communities), where they are, in order to show respect, and ensure that we are able to work together to take positive steps in the right direction and to avoid imposing our will and getting shut out of the change process all together. It is key for all of us to remember that even small steps in the right direction are important but in order to take those steps we must work respectfully in partnership with the communities we want to effect change in.

Another event that reinforced Social Work values was the event put on by Indigenous Women on their role in the MDGs. The indigenous women speaking stressed the importance of consulting with indigenous women to craft MDGs and the post-2015 framework to ensure it addresses their needs as well. They discussed also the importance of having informed consent when NGOs go into their communities to start projects for the MDGs, as they are often not consulted and their “villages become museums of MDG projects” that go unused because their true needs were never addressed. A concrete path serves indigenous women no use when they walk barefoot in the summer and would rather walk on the cool grass. These sentiments reflect the importance of working with communities as partners, meeting them where they are in a way that truly addresses their needs and strengths, and values their culture while allowing them the space and support to work to better their own communities.

Ana Rodriguez