International Social Work

Social work is unusual among the professions for its commitment to advocacy on behalf of the poor, the dispossessed and the disadvantaged. International human rights and the promotion of social and economic justice are clearly a part of this mission. The article addresses an emerging aspect of advocacy by examining the nexus between international social and economic justice issues and the social work response. It addresses the revolution in advocacy methods created by information technology. These new techniques can offer a wealth of opportunities to further develop the international advocacy component of the social work profession. The impacts these new methods can have on the creation of justice on a global level are discussed.

The use of single-system research designs (SSRDs) has the potential to help social workers empirically evaluate the outcomes of practice. Descriptions of using SSRDs to evaluate social work practice are provided. SSRDs have the potential to help social workers in Chinese contexts to provide scientifically credible evidence to others that social services benefit the people.

In this article the findings from a recent research project on women's perceptions of rape in Beirut are presented. This study, which relied on interviews, participant observation and a review of newspaper articles, illustrates that when a sexual incident involves strangers or the use of physical force, or occurs within the bounds of arranged marriage, it is more likely to be perceived as rape, not as consensual sex.

Poverty has plagued humanity for generations. Even today roughly 1.3 billion people in developing countries live in abject poverty as measured by the international income threshold. Despite the progress made in reducing poverty in the last 50 years, there are growing trends that threaten to increase poverty. This article examines the nature and scope of poverty and makes several recommendations to reduce it.

This article examines American public opinion towards genetic engineering, genetic testing and abortion. The findings indicate that the American public is increasingly ambivalent regarding these procedures. Contextually, these findings are discussed in the light of changing social and political attitudes towards genetic engineering, genetic testing and abortion.

By applying synergistic systems approaches, the present study has examined social work services for foreign-based US employees and their families in order to facilitate a successful adjustment in overseas assignments. A clear understanding of the key elements that constitute the expatriate's adjustment procedure is essential in implementing the practical roles occupational social workers can play in the global workplace today. On the basis of the recognition of the difficulties of cross-cultural adjustment, industrial social workers can utilize their expertise particularly in the processes of selection, training, support in overseas systems and repatriation to maximize an effective and efficient foreign expatriation.

For a variety of reasons related to pre- and post-migration factors, refugees experience a high rate of mental health problems. The early detection of these problems among refugees arriving in the United States benefits those individuals, the agencies that sponsor them and the communities that absorb them. The development of culturally-sensitive mental health screening instruments to identify pathology among refugees has been the focus of some research. This study explores the reactions of eight Bosnian refugees who were administered the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 as part of a mental health screening during the resettlement process. Through structured interviews with this sample, the authors elicited qualitative data about the mental health screening, from which preliminary conclusions were drawn about including such screening in the resettlement process.