Social work practice for "Minorities"

In any type of social work environment, social workers will work with different racial,
ethnic and minority populations. Race is defined by physical characteristics, like skin
tone, which relate to certain global regions. Ethnicity describes shared culture. Minority
groups are groups that lack power in society, regardless of country of origin or race.

Sociologist Louis Wirth (1945) defined a minority group as “any group of people who,
because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the
society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore
regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.”

❖ Role of social worker for Minorities

Today and throughout history, racial and ethnic minorities have experienced disparate
socioeconomic status all around the world. According to the American Psychological
Association (APA), there is a relationship between socioeconomic status, race and
ethnicity discrimination and marginalization based on race and ethnicity hinder upward
mobility for racial and ethnic minorities trying to escape poverty. Disadvantaged
communities tend to have:
➢ Low economic development
➢ Poor health conditions
➢ Low levels of educational attainment
Social workers help minority groups get the tools and resources they need to thrive. They
work with at-risk individuals, groups and families.
➢ They may provide clinical counseling support for mental and behavioral issues.
They also might participate in advocacy for minority populations, providing
recommendations to drive social change.
➢ Social workers are committed to ending racism and eradicating discrimination and
prejudice.
➢ Ethnicity and race social workers use action programs to address equity issues.
➢ These social workers are trained in addressing trauma and prioritize listening to
the experiences and needs of communities.

Social work practice and beggars

“The occurrence, persistence and incidence of begging, itself represents a
failure of public and social policy.”

Of all age-old social evils, begging is perhaps the most complex and
demoralizing evil which has evolved over time from a loose network to an
organized one all over the world. No society is free from that curse. It is the
most humiliating way to earn money through which people prefer bashing
and insulting rather than hard labor work and jobs.

In developing countries like Pakistan where the rate of unemployment is

rising day by day and people are highly affected by poverty and inflation find
it convenient to opt to beg. This social curse has engulfed the whole Pakistani
society.
❖ Reasons of begging
➢ Unremunerative agriculture
➢ poverty
➢ unemployment
➢ disruption of joint family and of caste control are the major causes of
increase of beggary

❖ Role of social worker to control begging

Social work is a profession in which trained professionals are devoted to helping

vulnerable people and communities work through challenges they face in everyday life.
Social workers practice in a wide variety of settings, united in their commitment to
advocating
➢ Social workers are uniquely positioned to help our fellow members of society who
are vulnerable, oppressed, or marginalized.
➢ Social workers’ roles have grown to include crisis management as well as roles of
empowerment and advocacy.
➢ Social workers can empower communities by encouraging individuals to take an
active role in shaping social services, providing education programs and enabling
economic independence long-term.