A Call to Action from SSWAA: School Social Workers Stand Up for Migrant Children’s Human Rights
Editor’s Note: Here at SSWN, we’re proud to post this statement from Dr. Leticia Villarreal Sosa, Ms. Christy McCoy, and Dr. Stephanie Ochocki, leaders at the School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA), with a key excerpt from the call to action here. Please share this statement far and wide, and take action where you are:
SSWAA-Call-to-Action-Migrant-Childrens-Human-Rights“As School Social Workers, we are on the frontlines working with migrant children and their families, including those with Temporary Protected Status and Dreamers (youth protected under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals [DACA]). We have an ethical responsibility to advocate against human rights violations. We bear witness to and understand the excruciating impact that fear, uncertainty and re-traumatization has on an individual’s overall wellbeing, especially children. Thus, our ethical obligation is to mobilize and stand up for the rights of migrant children and their families. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU, 2019), the fundamental constitutional protections of due process and equal protection embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to every person, regardless of immigration status. Thus, SSWAA is calling all School Social Workers to take action and fight for social justice.
Villarreal Sosa, L., McCoy, C. & Ochocki, S.. (2019). Statement from the School Social Work Association of America:School Social Workers Stand Up for Migrant Children’s Human Rights: A Call to Action. London, KY. School Social Work Association of America.
