Social Dialogue 22

While this issue explores past transgressions committed in the name of social welfare we can learn lessons from our past actions and inaction by committing to a profession that will never allow the politics and power structures that perpetuated this abuse and neglect be replicated in our current practices and contemporary health and welfare institutions. This is especially true as this current health crisis puts huge pressures on health and welfare services as the human cost of this virus impacts on so many vulnerable people.
As the many articles in this edition attest to the uncomfortable fact that in the time of economic, moral and ethical crises and human rights violations social workers showed an inability (and at times a reluctance) to contest systemic injustices. While some did resist and advocate in favour of protecting those being discriminated against and/or abused, overall, the profession was implicit in practices that were shameful and unjust.
While apologies for past harms have been sincerely offered and, in many instances, accepted by those who suffered physical and emotional damage there is still more work to be done. The guest editors of this edition, Vasilios Ioakimidis, Maria-Ines Martinez and Aaron Wyllie argue that to consolidate lessons learnt and incorporate them into current practices the social work profession must establish a Global Truth and Reconciliation Commission (GTRC), not only to give survivors a space to share their experiences but for the profession to understand and reflect on the conditions that gave rise to and fostered harmful practices.