Beyond borders : a study about the contribution social work advocacy can offer towards the eradication of extreme poverty

Abstract

With the Millennium Development Goals reaching their deadline, millions of people are still experiencing extreme poverty underpinned by environmental degradation, unjust economic systems and the rise in food prices. Advocacy is one of the major roles of the social work profession. It raises awareness about specific problems such as poverty and its root causes, thereby enabling the social worker to act as an agent of social change to challenge social injustices. ‘Beyond Borders’ is a study about the contribution of the social worker’s role of advocacy towards poverty eradication within the context of the Millennium Development Goal One: Eradicating Extreme Poverty. It aims to explore: whether and how social workers are utilising the advocacy role in relation to eradicating global poverty. It also aims to investigate the local social workers’ level of awareness of the impact that international events have on poverty which ultimately affect the local practice. These aims were investigated using six semi-structured interviews and a focus group. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. Throughout this research a glocal and post-colonial approach were adopted. Drawing on the findings, this research illustrates that Maltese and international social workers are not involved in advocacy to eradicate extreme poverty. Furthermore they are not adopting a glocal approach which is crucial to achieve poverty eradication. The findings also highlight that grass root work done by social workers should inform policies at the macro level to bring about change but this study shows that this is not being achieved. Social workers complained that the systems they are working in disempower them to advocate. Findings also show that poverty eradication requires social work advocacy to be human rights based and that the latter is crucial to empower the poor to self-advocate. The study reveals that Maltese social workers are not aware of development theories and development education which this same study finds as crucial to fight extreme poverty.