Social Workers and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Social workers'ethical obligations to imchildren working in conditions that letter resigned in protest. An objection prove social conditions, choice, and opthreaten their health and are injurious to by Thailand ended planned UNICEF portunity; eliminate discrimination; and their welfare, according to the Interintervention into this abuse of children; promote social justice demand a look not national Labor Organization (Jupp, a UNICEF-commissioned study quoted just beyond one's own agency but also Castelle, Cohen, Hagan, Nurkse, 1987; the Thai deputy prime minister as beyond national borders. Currently, the Nurkse & Castelle, 1990). Many are warning provincial governors of the need to examine ethical obligations has chained to their workbenches. Some are loss of foreign currency if the sex trade a certain urgency. Millions of children in beaten to increase their productivity, was stopped (Albert & Kunstel, 1987; the United States and abroad require the Many work in clothing factories and M. J. Jupp, Executive Director of attention of our profession. We have a agriculture in the United States. Defense for Children International unique opportunity to help them. Reports from Defense for Children InUSA, New York, NY, personal commu Although social work has a history ternational, the international children's nication, January 1987). grounded in services to children, even rights organization in Geneva, SwitzerTwenty-eight children die every predating Jane Addams's work with land, make it clear that millions of minute, or about 40,000 each day, from child prostitutes in Chicago, the profeschildren are no more than commodities starvation, poverty, and easily prevent sion has fulfilled this historical committo be bought and sold for a profit, able diseases (Nurkse & Castelle, 1990). ment inconsistently. Only about 20 perMothers in El Salvador have been paid UNICEF saves many of these lives. The cent of social work education programs small amounts of money to give their largest UNICEF donor is the United have child welfare courses (Herrmann & babies to scouts who work for lawyers in States, which significantly cut its con Young, 1984), yet this field of service is the adoption business. The mothers see tribution in 1990. More children will die perceived as a major social work arena, adoption as the only hope their children tomorrow as a result. The Council on Social Work Education have to survive and escape poverty. There is much talk from politicians mandates that certain victimized and Some of these children have been about educating children. But 13 percent oppressed populations be addressed in adopted by families in the United States to 25 percent of students drop out na accredited programs (Commission on and other nations for more than $15,000 tionally (Jupp et al., 1987); 30 percent Accreditation, 1988); however, the each. A lawyer in Bogota, Colombia, was of New York City students drop out. In topics of child abuse, neglect, and excharged with selling 500 Colombian and South Africa compulsory education ex ploitation do not necessarily have to be 100 Peruvian children for adoption by ists for white children but not for black taught. Aside from poverty, few social foreigners for $10,000 each. He paid children. Only 9 percent of children in work policy texts contain substantive in$600 for each child (Herrmann, 1991). Mozambique are enrolled in secondary formation on any children's issue. But Children in Bolivia, Brazil, and Thailand schools. More than 800,000 students in children are the poorest of the poor, the have been given away in payment for Chile do not attend school because of most vulnerable to social oppression, and debts. Children in the United States have educational funding cuts resulting from the least powerful of any population in been sold to pay for their parent's cocaine government pressure to pay its debts any nation, including our own. addiction (Jupp et al., 1987). (Jupp, 1987). We can see the effects of the horrors As many as 200,000 American chilChildren cannot testify in a court facing children if we take a moment to dren are prostitutes and models for child unless the court admits their testimony, look. The rug you have in your hallway pornography. Millions around the world They cannot charge someone with a may be labeled, "Made in Morocco," and are sold into this horror each year, crime. They have no rights. However, you might have paid hundreds of dollars A United Nations Children's Fund the U.N. General Assembly took mea for it, but the child who made it was paid (UNICEF) newsletter alleged that U.S. sures to change this situation in 15 cents per hour. Was the shirt you are military personnel were involved in November 1989 when it passed the U.N. wearing made in Thailand? The 12-yearchild pornography and prostitution (AcConvention on the Rights of the Child, old who sewed it was paid three cents an tion for Children, 1986); in response, the This landmark treaty, supported by the hour for the 12 hours she worked each United States threatened to end support National Association of Social Workers day. There are more than 88 million for UNICEF. The editor of the news(NASW), gives children the right to