IFSW Newsletter
ASIA & PACIFIC REGION

Issue 2, December 2013This issue includes:
Editorial
News from round-about
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Philippines Typhoon Haiyan – November 2013
Himalayan Flood Tragedy – June 2013
Bangladeshi Building Collapse – April 2013
Pictorial News from the APRC on “Social Work
amidst Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management: Building Capacities and Global
Partnership” – 4-6 June 2013 Manila
IFSW Special Project Report – Manila 2013
Brief History of Social Work in Iran
Performance Summary of Iran Association ofSocial Workers (21.03.2012-20.03.2013)
World Social Work Day 2013 Report from Japan
World Social Work Day 2014 – Poster and Banner
Macau pursuing registration of social workers
Global Institute of Social Work – new online portal

Upcoming Conferences

Editorial
We are again close to the ending of anothertumultuous year. We have yet to see peace and good
governance restored in several countries; we stillhear of terrorist bombings and gun violence; weknow that globally people are impacted by economic
crises, corruption and greed; we feel the pain andsuffering of people experiencing torture and abuse,and horrific climatic and man-made disasters.
On November 8th, Super Typhoon Haiyan dampened
preparations for any year end cheer for the people
and our social work members in the Philippines.
PASWI members are on the ground to assess andrespond to needs, and the President, Eva Ponce deLeon has shared with us some of her photographs.
Earlier, on June 17, two Asian countries weretraumatised by the Himalayan floods which hit theNorth Indian States of Uttarakhand and Himachal
Pradesh and various districts of Nepal. An excerpt ofDr. Bala Raju Nikku’s report is included in this issue.

On the up side, it is in calamities and tragedies suchas these that we also witness the amazing resilienceand strength of those affected, and the compassion
and generosity of helpers, rescuers and donors. Thisissue starts by highlighting IFSW-AP’s response to
the Philippine situation. The Executive Committee
has approved the donation of proceeds from the Asia
Pacific Regional Conference of 2013 on climatechange and disaster management to the Philippines
Association of Social Workers Inc., to purchaseblankets for victims of the devastating storm. The EC
also highlights the story of Mohammad Ejajuddin
Chowdhury Kaikobad, a Bangladeshi volunteer who
died after rescuing 26 garment factory workers froma collapsed building in April 2013. The EC hopes toraise some funds to support his widow and 2 young
children.
To add some cheer in this Newsletter we have a
pictorial report on the APRC held in Manila. Rose
Henderson has also submitted a report on the IFSWAP Special Project on Disaster Management which
was discussed during the Manila Conference. The
Iran Association of Social Workers is to be highly
commended for the hive of activities undertaken
between March 2012 and March 2013, and theyshare a brief history of social work development in
Iran. Japan sends news of their celebration of World
Social Work Day 2013. This leads us to remind
members to prepare for the next World Social WorkDay to be held on 18 March 2014. Information on thetheme and sub-themes, and the poster and bannerdesigns are publicised here. Macau social workers
are working towards registration. Another exciting
development is the launching of a new online portal
for social work training launched on 7 November
2013. The website was set up by the Global Instituteof Social Work, founded by Professor Tan Ngoh
Tiong, Dean of the School of Human Development
and Social Services at SIM University, Singapore.
With the advent of a new year, we hope for lesser
calamities and we pray for the care, safety andprotection of those affected by disasters, and those
who are providing courageous assistance andsupport in the areas of devastation. Social work andsocial workers will continue to make a difference!

IFSW-AP Makes a Donation to
PASWI for Victims of Typhoon
HaiyanAfter a successful conference on climate change anddisaster management in June 2013, PASWI members
are, sadly having to face another climatic crisis in theaftermath of an extreme weather catastrophe on
several islands in the Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan,
known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines,
smashed into coastal communities on Friday,
November 8th, destroying buildings, paralyzing
transport, communications and supplies, killing andinjuring thousands, and leaving millions homeless. It
has been reported that Typhoon Haiyan is the most‘intense tropical cyclone ever observed’ and its
destruction of the land ‘apocalyptic’.
PASWI has the added task of trying to locate missing
social workers and to provide support to affected
members while mobilising appropriate welfare
assistance and social work support for families ofvictims.
On behalf of IFSW-AP, John Ang sent a message to
Eva Ponce De Leon, President of PASWI on 14
November expressing concern over the scale ofdestruction and loss of lives suffered by her fellow
citizens. He added that the IFSW-AP family stands
with her in solidarity and share her sadness, andwould like to support PASWI’s efforts in some way.
Subsequently, when Eva indicated the need forblankets, the Executive Committee agreed to donate
USD1500.00 due to the IFSW-AP from the APRC ofJune 2013 through PASWI. Eva has acknowledged
the donation with appreciation and gratitude, andshared the following pictures of activities ofassessing and supporting some of those who wereaffected by the traumatic event.

Pictures of PASWI social workers at work

agricultural fields, irrigation canals, domestic water
sources, dams, roads, bridges, and buildings.
Downstream, the Ganga, Yamuna and other rivers
have reached levels not seen in years, posing
difficulties even in Delhi, the country’s capital.
The floods have also impacted badly on the far
western development region of Nepal. All in 21
districts were affected. The BBC reported that there
were up to 20,000 Nepalis — pilgrims and workers —in Uttarakhand when the floods struck (The Hindu
dated June 23, 2013). Thousands of Nepalis, mainly
from western Nepal, were working in Uttarakhand as
porters, palanquin bearers and manual labourers. A
majority of those reported missing in the June 16
disaster are pilgrims visiting the Hindu shrines of
Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
Media played a role in reporting this disaster like anyother event but it seemed to be disjointed andfragmented. To cite: the Himalayan flood was titled as
Himalayan Tsunami without any sense of what atsunami was. Also there was huge coverage forpolitical personalities who seemed to be competingfor future voters and their support. So everybody not
only love a good drought but a great disaster too!

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Himalayan Flood Tragedy – June
2013
Excerpts from Report by Bala Raju Nikku, Member of
IASSW Committee on Sustainability, Climate Change
and Disaster Intervention
Email: nikku21@yahoo.com

Source: AP

Having suffered devastating flash floods in August
2012, the North Indian States of Uttarakhand andHimalcha Pradesh once again experienced widespreadloss and damage when several rivers flooded the area
in June this year. The rivers were the Malakini,
Alaknanda, Bhagirathi and Karnali which inundated
the several districts, sweeping away mountainsides,
villages and towns, thousands of people, animals,

Source: AP

Last few days I have been reading and relying on
secondary sources to make a mental picture of thisevent for myself as a social work educator. I have notcome across any reports about the role of civil society
and non-governmental organisations (other than few
reports on the role of Red Cross and political outfits
like Rashtriya Svayam Sevak [RSS]), or of individuals
who are putting their lives at stake in rescuing theirfellow human beings. The tragedy saw the best andworst of human attitude. If rescue teams did awonderful job at grave personal risk, greedy elements
fleeced the stranded pilgrims in ways that can only becalled cruel (H.R. Bapu Satyanarayana, The Hindu,
dated June 24, 2013).
It is easy to pass the buck to nature but it is clear thatgreed, corruption and politician-bureaucrat-builders
nexus have contributed to the tragedy in no small
measure. The Mafia wooed villagers to grab their landfor the construction of hotels. Rules are subverted toflout compliance.
Many reports (including ICIMOD) have already started
raising many questions: The unfolding Himalayan
disaster raises two questions: is this extreme rainfall in
the Himalayan region due to climate change and global
warming? And what issues does it flag to all of us- theprofessionals, policy planners and politicians? How to
respond and what role should social work play to these
events? Is Green Social Work an answer?

always been generous and helpful, and committed tothe ideals of social work. His family only learned of his
involvement in the rescue through cable news, and hecalled his wife to say he could not go home until hehad done all he could for the trapped workers.
The Army has provided housing for the wife, Jarnin
Akter, and the children but they have not received anyother forms of support. John Ang has written to the
Dutch-Bangla Bank Ltd where Jarnin has an account,
to explore the possibility of directing donations
directly to her. Members will be informed of further
development on this.
It was a tragedy waiting to happen. Despite clear signsof structural defects in the building, the management
insisted that workers report to work. It is well known
globally that low paid workers in Bangladesh andmany other less developed countries are forced bytheir economic needs to work in less than satisfactory
conditions by world occupational safety standards. It
again highlights the sad lack of corporate social
responsibility by companies who prioritise profit
margins over human lives and continue to practise
modern day slavery in the industries.

Source: AP************************************************************************************************************

Mohammad Ejajuddin Chowdhury
Kaikobad – a courageous volunteer
Kaikobad died from severeburns while trying to rescue ayoung female worker trapped in
the rubble of a collapsed
garment factory in Savar, after
having saved 26 others.
On 24th April 2013, the 8-storey Rana Plaza in Savar,
Bangladesh, collapsed and caused the deaths of 1,129
people, mainly female garment factory workers andtheir children placed in the building’s day care centre.
By the 13th of May, 2,438 people were rescued alive.
On the second day of the disaster, Kaikobad
volunteered to help with rescue operations and healone succeeded in bringing out 26 survivors over a
period of 5 days. Sadly, during one of his attempts toreach a young female worker, a fire broke out andengulfed both him and the worker and they died.
Rescue personnel spoke highly and respectfully of
Kaikobad’s valiant efforts, and he was laid to rest withfull state honours.
Kaikobad’s story was reported to John Ang by
Bangladeshi social worker, S. M. Morshed, who wrote
the Kaikobad was the youngest of 2 brothers and 2
sisters. He grew up in the capital’s Farmgate area andhad his education at the Ideal School and the College
in Dhaka. He was working as a construction
supervisor, and was married with 2 children aged 6
years and 2 years. Family and friends said he had

Pictorial News from the APRC on“Social Work amidst Climate
Change, Disaster Risk Reduction andManagement: Building Capacities
and Global Partnership” – 4-6 June2013 Manila

****************************************************IFSW Special Project Report –Manila 2013
“Good Practices in Responding to Natural and
Human-made Disasters”
Mariko Kimura, IFSW Asia Pacific member at large
introduced the session with a brief overview of the
IFSW project which was the focus of this session. The
Disaster Management Project funds are being used toconvene three workshops across the region
culminating with the production of a professional
resource for the region. Japan was acknowledged forproviding the leadership and financial oversight forthe project. The first workshop was held last year inTokyo, the second workshop is this special session in
Manila and a third is anticipated in the coming year.
The IFSW Asia Pacific project funds and generalfunds had sponsored two of the speakers in thissession: Marlina Adisty from Indonesia, the recipientof an IFSW Asia Pacific scholarship funded by
Regional project funds and Dr. Morshed Syed from

Bangladesh, the recipient of IFSW Asia Pacificscholarship funded by Jane Hoey proceeds.
The session chair and moderator was Rose
Henderson, IFSW Asia Pacific regional secretary. The
four presenters in the session were –• Honourable Jose Maria Clemente-Salseda(Governor, the Philippines)• Marlina Adisty (Indonesia)• Morshed Syed (Bangladesh)• Masanobu Oohashi (Japan).
The presenters have a wealth of experience ofdisaster experience across the region and an
extremely informative session was valued by all. All
presenters referred to national legislation within
their respective countries which provides theframework and guidelines for responding todisasters. The profession of social work is an integral
part of the disaster management strategy for all
countries. Each of the presenters built on theprevious discussions and the summary here is a very
brief overview of some of their key points and is notintended to be a comprehensive summary of eachpresentation.
Honourable Jose Maria Clemente-Salseda encouraged
us all to:• change disaster ‘response’ to ‘reduction’• ensure programmes are rights-based• ensure programmes are inclusive of the whole ofgovernment, the whole of society and the whole ofbudget.
The Governor also encouraged us to use the scientifictools that are available to help define disaster risk
and vulnerability. Based on the assessed risk andvulnerability (hazard and exposure), a vision andgoals based on safe and shared disaster management,
need to be developed. Decisions about whether torelocate, to defend or to evacuate need to be plannedand prepared for in advance. It is also important that
community knowledge about what to do in a disasterbegins to be built from an early age.
Marlina Adisty spoke of the experiences and context
of disaster work in Indonesia noting the use of thefollowing Disaster Management cycle in this field ofwork. This cycle is inclusive of –• Prevention• Preparedness• Response• Rehabilitation.
Marlina also highlighted the social work roles in eachof the aspects of disaster response work including
housing, infrastructure, social, economic and crosssectoral work.

Morshed Syed added to the conversation by buildingon the role of social work in disasters. This included
considering the profession’s role in pre-disaster
preparedness building as well as post-disaster work
including needs assessment, gathering information,
rescue work as well as recovery work (e.g. social
workers providing financial support for building
cyclone shelters).
Masanobu Oohashi added further to the role of social
work, discussing the roles and responsibilities toassist wherever indicated including in the shelterhouses. Masanobu also recognised the value of
utilising existing national professional networks tohelp people e.g. through the network of psychiatricsocial workers.
Masanobu also raised the important point ofrecognising that those involved in the disaster
response were also victims of the disaster, noting theimportance of recognising this dilemma andsupporting the workers.
Conclusion
All presenters were acknowledged for theircontribution to the ongoing development andrefinement of the role of social work in each of thephases of disaster management from planning andpreparation, to immediate aftermath of an event, theongoing longer term recovery and the building ofcommunity awareness, preparedness and resilience.
Rose Henderson, Moderator of Session****************************************************

Brief History of Social Work in Iran
Sattareh Farmanfarmaianii who had received her
degree in social work from UCLAii, brought the newpolicies in social work to Iran in 1958 after she wasexperienced enough as a social worker and social
services officer in the UN, and established the firstSocial Work School in Iran.
The school started with 20 students in Tehran. It wasa two-year training course containing both theoreticaland field work. Seven years later this course wasdeveloped into a BA degree with four years of study
according to university syllabus. The graduates werequalified to be employed in social work positions indifferent areas of social services such as hospitals,
nursery schools, rural development agencies, family
and children services, industries, social welfare anddevelopment.

In 1960 the School joined the International
Association of Schools of Social Work. In 1970 the
School developed a two-year course for social
workers interested to study for MA degree. During thefollowing years other social work institutes/schools
were established but, after the revolution in Iran someschools and educational institutes had to merge into
one, and was named Allameh Tabatabaeie. However,there was a huge need for trained social workers that
led the government to establish the University ofSocial Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences in 1992.
Now, there are a lot of universities, governmental or
private, that are training social workers for various
degrees all around Iran. Social workers in Iran havevariety of career choices. Fields that social workers
are employed in are as follows:
Health and Medical:
Social workers offer social services and financial aid
for patients who are in need. They also offer social andwelfare services to those who suffer from mental
illness or are affected by HIV or AIDS. Social workers
in this field work in hospitals and treatment centers.
Industries:
Social workers offer social and welfare services to thestaff. If needed, they play the role of amediator/facilitator between the employer andemployees. Social workers in this field work infactories and organizations.
Justice system:
Social workers in this area offer counseling services,
reports to the court especially in domestic conflict
which are reported to the court for divorce by any oneof the couples. Social workers also offer
empowerment programs in cases of juvenile
delinquency and to imprisoned individuals and theirfamilies. Social workers in this field work in the
Ministry of Justice, judiciary, courts, police force, state
prisons, security and corrective organizations,correction centers for juvenile delinquency.
Social problems:Services in this area consist of research, crisis
intervention (domestic violence, divorce, addiction,suicide, etc.) and social emergency helpline. Social
workers in this field work in Welfare Organization,
Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare,
Ministry of Interior, Municipalities, Drug Control
Headquarters, Police Force, and courts.
Children services:
In this area social workers are employed to offer
interventional and empowerment services in thefields of child abuse, foster care, day care, working
street children, child labor, runaway girls. Social
workers in this field work in nursery schools, Ministryof Health and Medical Education, Welfare
Organization, Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare.
Aging and disabilities:
Services are offered in the rehabilitation andresidential centers both in the areas of disability
welfare and empowerment. Social workers in thisfield work in senior citizens’ centres, nursing homes,
Welfare Organization, Ministry of Cooperatives, Laborand Social Welfare, Red Crescent, Foundation of
Martyrs and Veterans Affair, and the Imam Khomeini
Relief Foundationiii.
Women and family services:
These services are offered by social workers and otherprofessionals on the basis of team work in family
courts, family counseling clinics, social work clinics
and financial aids. Social workers in this field work in
Welfare Organization, Ministry of Cooperatives, Laborand Social Welfare, and the Imam Khomeini Relief
Foundation.
Natural disasters and crisis interventions:Social workers in this field work in Red Crescent, andNational Disaster Management Organization.
Revolutionary organizations:Social workers offer psycho-social and financial
services to veterans and families of martyrs. Social
workers in this field work in Foundation of Martyrs
and Veterans Affair, Mostazafaniv Foundationiv, andImam Khomeini Relief Foundation.
Informal settlements:
Social workers are employed by Welfare Organization
to offer community work and community
development in marginalized areas and informal
settlements. Social workers in this field work in
Welfare Organization.
Education and Training:
Social workers in this field work in Ministry of
Education, Ministry of Science, Research andTechnology, schools, special education schools,
consulting centers of universities, professional
education and training centers.
Please note that according to Iran’s law, in the mostfields mentioned above social workers are also
employed in private organizations.
References:i. Sattareh Farman Farmaian, Dona Munker:
Daughter of Persia: A Woman's Journey from Her
Father's Harem Through the Islamic Revolution,
2006.
ii. University of California, Los Angeles

iii. The Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation was
founded in March 1979 as a charity organization
to provide support for poor families.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imam_Khomeini_R
elief_Foundation)
iv. The Mostazafan Foundation of Islamic
Revolution formerly Bonyad-e Mostazafan va
Janbazan (Foundation of the Oppressed andDisabled or "MFJ") is a charitable foundation, intheIslamic
RepublicofIran.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostazafan_Found
ation).

Performance Summary of Iran
Association of Social Workers(21.03.2012-20.03.2013)- Holding the conference on “Social Work in Disaster”
in partnership with Red Crescent Youth
Organization;- Holding the conference on “Social Work in Prisons”
in partnership with prisons and security andcorrective measures organization of Tehran
province;- Holding 27th National Social Work Congress withthe theme of “Social Work and Social Prevention” ;- Production, registration and unveiling of social
work national anthem on 13.06.2012;- Membership of the Association with theInternational Federation of Social Workers on
07.06.2012;- Launching the association’s technical committees
such as: Technical committee on research and education
 Technical committee on social work in
revolutionary institutes (like Martyrs Foundation
or Veterans Foundation)
 Technical committee on social work in informal
settlements Technical committee on social work in the area of
health Technical committee on social work and social
damages Technical committee on social work in the area ofindustries and labor relations
 Technical committee on social work in
educational institution
 Technical committee on social work in disasters
 Technical committee on social work in the area of
HIV and AIDS Technical committee on social work in the area ofaging
 Technical committee on social work in militaryand police Technical committee on social work in the area offamily Technical committee on social work in the area ofchildren Technical committee on social work and social
policy Committee on international affairs- Appointing a coordinator for IASW’s technicalcommittees;- Launching committee on public communications;- Appointing a head for each technical committee ofthe Association;- Appointing an executive director for each branch of
the Association in these provinces: Alborz, Ardabil,
East Azerbaijan, Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari,
South Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan, Semnan, Fars,
Qom, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Kohgiluyeh andBoyer-Ahmad,
Lorestan,
Gilan,
Golestan,
Mazandaran, Markazi, Yazd;- Appointing an executive officer for each branche of
the Association ;- Preparing and sending board, stamp and flag of the
Association to each branch;- Participation and academic contribution in theconference on “Social Working and Health of
Family” in Markazi province;- Contribute towards social work celebration in Rasul
Akram Training, Medical and Research Center;- Participation and academic contribution in 6th
Seminar on “Mental Health for University Students”;- Participate in social work directors’ meeting of
National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company(NIOPDC);- Participate in celebration of praise for social
workers in Gonabad city;- Contribute in celebration of praise for social
workers of welfare organization of Tehran;- Holding one day conference of “Social Working” inAlborz province;- Holding one day conference of “Social Working” in
Mazandaran province;- Academic and administering participation in the 1st
Congress of “Cyberspace and New Social Problems;- Academic participation in the 4th National
Conference on “Hidden Social Problems” inKurdistan;- Academic and administrative participation in the
2nd National Conference on “Applied-Science Social
Working” in Khomeini Shahr city in Isfahanprovince;- Academic and administrative participation in the
2nd National Conference on “Promotion in
Nutrition of Vulnerable Group”;- Holding workshop on “Social Work in Disasters” inpartnership with Red Crescent Youth Organization(workshop venue: Anzali port city);- Signing of memorandum with the Red Crescent
Youth Organization;- Signing of memorandum with Police;- Presence and social work intervention inearthquake zone of East Azerbaijan;- Interaction with relevant organizations;- Presence in Medias (National television, Radio andcyberspace)- Thesis tips for students;- Recording social workers’ experiences andmemories;- Making database of members of IASW;- Developing scheme of “Database of Social Ideas”;- Participation in social policy and social planningmeetings of different organizations such as:
Expediency Discernment Council of the System,
Parliament (social committee, The Research Centerof parliament), Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation,
Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, prisonsand security and corrective measures organization,municipality,
National
CrisisManagement
Organization, Iran Drug Control Headquarters, state
welfare organization of Iran, Ministry of
Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, Red
Crescent, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, etc;
- Holding intimate meeting of social worker couples
in Yalda night (longest night of the year);- Trying to get copyright for social ideas in Iranian
copyright policy council based on Ministry ofJustice;- Setting up online registration for IASW;- Participation in planning entrepreneurshipprogram for addicted improved in Iran drug control
headquarter;- Participation in the Congress on “Car Accident
Social Consequences” in partnership with Scientific
Association of Social Science Students of Allame
Tabatabaee University;- Setting up SMS center and database for SMS centerof IASW;- Publication of the first issue of IASW online
magazine;- Trying to get license for holding workshops forrelevant organization’s officers from the president’s
department of management development andhuman resource;- Holding workshops;- Preparing analytic report about social conditions of
Iran;- Participation in planning disaster victims’
rehabilitation program in the Ministry of Interior(National Crisis Management Organization).

rising rapidly. Especially, poverty of the young andworkable is now seen as a serious problem. The
revision of the Livelihood Protection Law and the newbill of the Law for the Support of Independence ofPeople with Livelihood Difficulty were discussed innational Diet in June and will be re-submitted in thenext session. The Child Poverty Law was enacted,
backed by a surge of movement for children who losttheir parents in disasters and accidents.

******************************************The Council of Social Care Service Practitioners, which
is made up of 17 national associations related to social
work practice and education, including Japanese
Coordinating Body for IFSW, designated the Marine
Day (a national holiday, July 15, for 2013) as “Social
Workers' Day” in 2009 and started to hold annual
events to promote social work in Japan. This year wechose “Promoting Social & Economic Equalities,” 2013priority of Global Agenda, as the theme of “Social
Workers' Day” and asked our local branches to deal
with this issue, together with the national event heldin Tokyo.

Celebrating Japan’s Social Workers’
Day: Focusing on Global Agenda for2013
Social & Economic Equalities in Japan: the present
state and challenge
Poverty and inequality are attracting increasing social
attention in Japan as the number of people on
livelihood protection (public assistance) has been

The system of livelihood protection, which should be asafety-net to assure minimum livelihood stipulated by
the Constitution, is not working well enough in Japanand there are cases of solitary death and even deathfrom hunger. The complicated character of the needsof people who are under, or about to apply for,livelihood protection requires comprehensive andcontinuous support. We social workers face a big
challenge whether we can provide enough and proper
support, utilising wide-ranging social resources and incoordination with other professionals and relevant
persons.

“Social Workers' Day” Initiative
There are now approximately 220,000 social workers
with certification in Japan. Social workers working ina variety of institutions engage in consultations ofpeople who find it difficult to make their living and insupport activities for their independence and social
participation. However, we cannot say that Japanesepeople in general recognise the existence andunderstand the roles of social worker very well.

The National Event of “Social Workers' Day”
The national event of “Social Workers' Day” consistedof plenary lectures and a symposium. After agovernment official’s report on the prospect of Law
for the Support of Independence of People with
Livelihood Difficulty, a renowned social activist on
poverty and inequality expressed serious concern forthe distress of people in livelihood difficulty and called
for renewed energy for social action.
In thesymposium entitled “social workers tackling poverty,”
three social workers working in the field of childwelfare, medical service, and suicide prevention,
talked about their practice and raised issues thatprovoked discussion involving the floor participants.
The reports of the three speakers, although comingfrom different fields, pointed to the common objective
and roles of social work: i.e. to prevent isolation, bringabout sense of security, and facilitate self-affirmationand social participation by constructing effective
support system and actually connecting people inneed to the system. About 350 people including many
students in social work education took part in theevent.

strengthen network in their areas. Many local
networks thus developed acted on local newspapers
and TV stations to propagate their events. To keep
holding this kind of local events throughout thecountry is essential to make social worker morefamiliar and useful to Japanese people.
Atsuko Otsuka, Managing Director
Japanese Association of Psychiatric Social Workers******************************************************

World Social Work Day - 2014
IFSW has announced the date, theme and sub-themes
for next year’s celebration of WSWD and provided
very appealing and attractive poster and bannerdesigns for promoting the special day.

Local events of “Social Workers' Day”
Since many national associations have local branches
organized at prefectural level, we have beenencouraging the local bodies to join hands and holdprefectural “Social Workers' Day” events in their own
prefectures. We saw 34 prefectural events this year,
while there were only 16 in 2010. Many localorganizations had lecture meetings and symposiums
related to the issue of poverty/inequality, addressing
child poverty, poverty in local communities, livelihood
protection, Law for the Support of Independence ofPeople with Livelihood Difficulty, etc.
“SocialWorkers' Day” has been acquiring more recognition
among local organizations and the scope of their“Social Workers' Day” events and activities is
expanding. The number of participants is also
increasing, reaching roughly 2,700 in total this year.
The “Social Workers' Day” initiative provided avaluable opportunity for local social work
professional and educational bodies to create and/or

In the light of ongoing social crises and pressures,social workers, members and partner organisations
are encouraged to find sustainable social work
solutions to make a difference.

Let’s all make it another memorable and meaningful
day for social work on 18 March 2014!

Macau Continues Legislative Debate
on Registration of Social Workers
The legislature in Macau is considering a draft bill tocreate a registration system for social workers. A
recent report in the Macau Daily Times provided an
insight into the process. Discussion of social work
registration in Macau has been continuing since 2011,
as reported earlier by the newspaper.
Five components of the registration system had
previously been identified, including professional
training requirements, quality control, staff training
duty, a body to oversee professional practice andlicence issuing which will be a compulsory
requirement for social workers.
The President of the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS), Iong
Kong Io told the newspaper in July 2013 that theamendment to the draft bill creating a registration
system for social workers is on the right track. He
promised there would be a second round of
consultations after the amendment process iscomplete.
‘The taskforce already held its first meeting in May,
during which the team discussed basic questions suchas the definition of social work and working
guidelines’, Iong said.
The taskforce will continue to discuss legal issues,
including registration requirements for social workers
and formation of the registration affairs committee.
The first consultation was held in mid-2012. The
newspaper reports that many social workers wereagainst the proposal that stipulated compulsory
registration for private social workers but exemptedsocial workers in public entities.
Macau is one of a number of countries around theworld seriously considering legal registration of social
workers. Nearby, Hong Kong set up a registration
system in 1998, overseen by the Social Workers
Registration Board.
IFSW is always ready to provide support andassistance to local associations and groups of social
workers involved in negotiating legal registration.
‘Registration can bring benefits to service users andsocial workers alike’, said IFSW Secretary-General
Rory Truell. ‘However there are also risks. The
profession MUST be closely involved in developing
any proposals for registration and similar schemes’,
Rory Truell concluded.

Global Institute of Social Work –launch of new online portal for social
work knowledge and training
Professor Tan Ngoh Tiong had a dream and he made itcome true by founding the Global Institute of Social
Work, a non-profit organisation and its new online
portal for social work knowledge and training. The
website provides free access to all social work
practitioners all over the world. The launching on 7
November 2013 was officiated by the Former
President of Singapore and one of the pioneer
graduates of the Diploma in Social Studies programmeof the then University of Malaya, Singapore, Mr. S. R.
Nathan. This is an important and significant
development for social work education and training,
especially with current emphasis in the Asia Pacific onbuilding competency and regulating practice of social
workers but also in capacity building the thousands ofwelfareandsocialservicepractitioners.
Congratulations to Professor Tan and all the membersof the Advisory Board and Fellows of the Institute.
For more information, please go to website:thegisw.org/.
******************************************************

Upcoming Events in 2014…
Research for Social Change – Addressing Local andGlobal Challenges
15th -19th January 2014
Venue: Grand Hyatt San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
Organiser: Society for Social Work and Research11240 Waples Mill Road Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22030 USA
E-mail: info@sswr.org | www.sswr.org
DisasterManagement
WorkshopfortheCollaboration among Asian Pacific Social Workers
in Indonesia: "Building Disaster Resilience:Strengthening the Collaboration among Asian
Pacific Social Workers"
27th – 28th January 2014
Eva Ponce de Leon from the Philippines will makea speech as an international speaker.
Venue: University of Indonesia, Jakarta
Sponsor: IFSW-Asia Pacific Region
Organising Committee: Indonesian Association ofSocial Workers/Indonesian Association of Social Work
Education.

The Macau Daily Times report can be read here.
The Changing World and the Face of Social Work
Education
19th -23rd March 2014

Venue: Louisville Marriott Downtown 280 W.
Jefferson St., Louisville, KY, USA
Organiser: The Association of Baccalaureate Social
Work Program Directors, Inc.
Website: www.marriottlouisville.com
The WorldPride Human Rights Conference 2014
25th – 27th June 2014
Venue: University College, University of Toronto, 15
King’s College Circle, Toronto, ON CANADA M5S 3H7
Hosted by the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual
Diversity Studies at University College, University ofToronto. For more information about the Bonham
Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, visit
www.uc.utoronto.ca/sexualdiversity.
Joint World Conference on Social Work, Educationand Social Development 2014
9th – 12th July 2014
Venue: Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre,
Melbourne, Australia
Organised by the International Association of Schoolsof Social Work (IASSW), the International Council on
Social Welfare (ICSW), the International Federation ofSocial Workers (IFSW) and the local Organising
Committee.
Contact: Waldron Smith Management, 119 Buckhurst
Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205 Australia
E: swsd2014@wsm.com.au
W: www.waldronsmith.com.au

IFSW Asia Pacific Regional
Committee
President:
Member-at-Large:
Secretary:

John Ang (Singapore)
Mariko Kimura (Japan)
Rose Henderson (New
Zealand)Treasurer:
Michiko Hirata (Japan)
Members:
Irene Leung Pui Yiu(Hong Kong)
Sung-Kyung Kang
(Korea)Elsie Lee (Publications
Secretary, Malaysia)
Ex-Officios:
Ng Shui Lai (Human
Rights, Hong Kong)
Richard Hugman (Ethics
Representative,
Australia)
Regional Advisor: Justina Leung(Immediate Past
President, Hong Kong)
Co-opted Members: Eva Ponce de Leon (ThePhilippines)
Munther Amira (Palestine)
Naomi Spencer (Australia)
Editor: Elsie Lee (Malaysia)
Layout: Jodi Johnstone (Australia)
Publisher: Griffith University for IFSW Asia
Pacific Region (Australia)
Note to Contributors:

NASW 2014 National Conference: Social Work Courage, Hope and Leadership
23rd -26th July 2014
Venue: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2600 Woodley
Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008
Registration Opens in January 2014
email: naswconference@naswdc.org

Please send items, stories and articles
preferably in MS word format as well as
photos to the Editor, Elsie Lee at
elsilee@gmail.com