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Disrupting Human Rights: A Social Work Response to the Lockdown of Social Housing Residents

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journal contribution
posted on 2021-07-01, 00:00 authored by Kim RobinsonKim Robinson, Linda Briskman, Ring Mayar
Abstract
The article probes the disproportionate impact on marginalised populations to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (COVID-19 is an acronym that stands for coronavirus disease of 2019).. It explores this problematic through research with refugees residing in social housing in Melbourne, Australia. The focus is on the specific pressures facing this cohort with the 2020 deployment, without notice, of armed police to enforce lockdown in the central Melbourne housing high rise tower estates. Our research methodology comprises narrating experiences of a community leader who had direct contact with residents and is a co-author of this article; accounts arising from an African community forum and a review of media sources that are attentive to voice. From a thematic analysis, we found consistency of narrative for a cohort whose voices had previously been excluded from the public domain. The themes were in three key areas: representation and employment of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse social workers and community workers; restoration of human rights to those experiencing state-sanctioned violence; and the application of critical multicultural social work practice. We apply theorising derived from Helen Taylor and Jacques Derrida, and argue that responses to crises should be led by the wisdom of affected communities, in keeping with critical social work theories and practices.

History

Journal

British Journal of Social Work

Volume

51

Issue

5

Pagination

1700 - 1719

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Location

Oxford, Eng.

ISSN

0045-3102

eISSN

1468-263X

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal