IASSW Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order
On Friday the 27th of January, the US government issued an Executive Order halting U.S. travel for citizens of several Muslim-majority countries and suspending refugee resettlement. This order has affected thousands of people both directly, through discriminating against individuals on the basis of religion/ nationality and indirectly, as it fuels Islamophobia and intolerance worldwide. Moreover, the US Executive Order has disrupted the longstanding refugee resettlement programme, supported by UNHCR, at a time when the needs of refugees and migrants worldwide seem to be greater than ever.
The International Association of Schools of Social Work profoundly condemns state policies in general, and the US Executive Order in particular, that violate the fundamental principle of equal treatment of individuals and families regardless of race, religion or nationality.
In response to the US Executive Order and various sexist and racist comments made by the current President of the US, we have witnessed the dynamic re-emergence of a civil rights movement, both in the US and internationally.
We unite our voices with this movement and with people and organisations protesting against sexism, racism and Islamophobia. Defending social justice and the dignity of the people is the overarching principle of social work education and practice. Therefore, we encourage social work educators and practitioners to make best use of their skills, knowledge and expertise in order to defend human rights unconditionally and categorically.
We firmly believe that unity in action is the best way to promote human rights and social justice. For this reason, we invite social work educators and students to get in touch with our Association and inform us about how have they been affected by the current climate in the US and how have they been contributing to the movement against policies fuelling sexism, Islamophobia and other forms of institutional discrimination. If you would like to share your views and stories please contact the IASSW Human Rights Committee via the following email: humanrights@iassw-aiets.org