The United States over the past few weeks has been engaged in a national discussion stemming from accusations about sexual harassment and sexual assault against women. Based on reports, these acts involved egregious disregard of the human rights and dignity of women. The national outcry spoke to the fact that sexual abuse—in all forms—is an affront to all Americans, not ... Read More »
NASW PRESS RELEASE: The National Association of Social Workers has joined six other child and family advocacy organizations to sign a letter from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) urging South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard and other governors not to approve legislation that discriminates against students who are transgender. The open letter was also signed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, ... Read More »
By Paul R. Pace, News staff Social workers and others in direct care settings in Massachusetts will be better protected from violence, thanks to the efforts led by the NASW Massachusetts Chapter and the Boston University School of Social Work. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law the NASW Massachusetts Social Work Safety in the Workplace bill in February. It ... Read More »
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend an event at the White House to see President Obama make a statement about student loan debt. My invitation to the White House occurred because I reached out to the organization, Campus Progress, and volunteered to work at their Student Debt Day. By volunteering, I was given the opportunity, along with other student ... Read More »
Two years ago, President Obama signed the historic health care bill, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. Social workers strongly support the law because it makes vital improvements to health care access, quality and services for millions of Americans with health and behavioral health needs. In particular, the ACA addresses many issues for women in improving access to coverage and ... Read More »
The Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, has played a crucial role in the lives of women and families since its original passage in 1994. We have seen both a sharp increase in the reporting of domestic violence, and significant decrease in the number of people harmed by an intimate partner. Additionally, an increase in legal services has helped women ... Read More »
The recent drop in unemployment to 8.6 percent was widely greeted with enthusiasm. However, it is important to note which populations actually comprise that figure. Women who maintain families face unemployment rates over 12 percent, and more than five million women over the age of 20 are unemployed. Duration of unemployment is another key factor, with women under 20 needing ... Read More »
September 23 marked the 18 – month anniversary since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). New census numbers showed 500,000 more young adults have insurance than last year because of the ACA provision that lets parents keep their children on their plans until they are 26 years old. In addition, 18.9 million seniors have already taken advantage of ... Read More »
The recent anniversary of our country’s independence reminds us that as Americans we have certain duties that we owe to our country. Most particularly, citizens have a responsibility to be involved in the political process through voting and can participate in various other forms of activism, such as campaigning, contacting Members of Congress, and joining political organizations. Social workers have ... Read More »
On May 31, 2011, the state of Oregon passed House Joint Memorial 13 urging Congress to support the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1106/S. 584). This measure was passed overwhelmingly with a vote of 58-2 in the House and 28-1 in the Senate. In Oregon, a study showed that those graduating with ... Read More »
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