Social justice and people of faith: A transnational perspective

There is a paucity of literature in social work on the intersection between social justice and religion, even though the profession's code of ethics articulates the need to advocate for social justice and eliminate religious discrimination. Therefore, this article helps equip social workers to challenge social injustice on behalf of people of faith around the world. Toward this end, the author developed a human rights-based social justice ethic based on the United Nations' (1948) Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The growing problem of religious persecution is discussed, along with strategies to promote religious freedom. It is suggested that social work has a particular duty to advocate for religious freedom because many of the victims of religious persecution are members of marginalized populations with few advocates on the international stage.