Effective social work requires a thorough understanding of the background and community of clients. Unlike legal systems where one is judged solely on their actions and intentions, social work delves into the history of clients to understand the clients' aspirations, motivations, and struggles. For instance, Saunders and Edelson (1999) note that people with an abusive past tend to end up in undesirable marital, mental, economic, and social states later on in life. Therefore, a social worker must acquire as much information as possible about their clients so that their efforts are not in vain. Social work practice can redeem individuals and societies that have struggled with vices and crimes if it incorporates all three of its branches (micro, mezzo, and macro).
An analysis of a case study is essential to the illustration of how wholistic social work can change the status of clients and the communities in which they live. Consider Juanita, a forty-year-old lady living in Pilsen, Chicago. She is originally from Colombia and arrived in the United States as a victim of human trafficking. She was sold to a gang that runs a prostitution ring in Texas. She was a sex-worker for two and a half years. She realized that her life was in jeopardy when another lady with whom she had arrived in the country was found dead in a ditch. They were close friends, and the lady had told Juanita that she was late in making some payments to their crime lords. The death of her friend shook her. She feigned illness and hopped on a bus away from Texas six months ago. She was lucky to have crossed the state line before the gang recaptured, and probably killed her. She wandered across various states for a couple of weeks before arriving in Pilsen, where she lives with another Colombian family. Since she lacked proper documentation, she has been struggling to make ends meet. She works at a retail store in the neighborhood, where the owner exploits her financially since she has nowhere else to work. Three months ago, she met a man she thought was good. He is a registered Peruvian immigrant who owns an automobile parts store. He offered to give her better employment and even helped her acquire the necessary immigration documents. She moved in with him, and they have been living as a couple since. However, soon after moving in, she learned that the man was abusive. He would insult and beat her. She was helpless. She started taking drugs to numb out her physical and emotional pain. However, about a month ago, she turned herself into a rehabilitation facility. She is seeking to shun drugs and walk out of the abusive relationship.
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Human trafficking remains a huge social menace in the United States (Hepburn and Simon, 2010). The practice is not only a crime but a violation of human rights. Legal and political factions have argued on the best way to curb the vices. There have also been endless debates on what the government should do with the victims. The discourse has allowed criminals to continue to thrive and expand into new territories. Most of the victims die, and even those that escape the ordeal live miserably in fear and torment. Specifically, female survivors of trafficking face economic strife due to the patriarchal bias in many employment areas. Moreover, since most of them are from minority ethnic groups, they lack the social infrastructure to improve their financial situation. In an attempt to seek normalcy, many ladies, just like Juanita, jump into relationships without carefully considering the behavior of their partners. Eventually, their lives are as dire as they were when they were the captives of drug lords and prostitution gangs. They are afraid to speak out or act since their legal status in the country is questionable. Effective social work practices can, however, address some of these challenges, thus improving the lives of the victims.
Micro-level social work engages the clients and their families (Andreas, 2012). However, most of the ladies that escape trafficking do not have stable family relations. Therefore, social workers have to mainly deal with clients alone. Nonetheless, it can still be useful. For instance, social workers can reach out to the charity, and non-governmental organizations to fund the acquisition of decent housing and medical care for the individual victims. Moreover, the victims require psychiatric help, which the social workers can offer through regular counseling sessions. The direct approach of micro social work allows the clients to remain accountable for their actions. Therefore, the practice reduces the risk of relapse into habits such as drug abuse. Also, the social workers act as a guide on the future of the social interactions of the clients. The clients are, therefore, likely to seek a professional's opinion before they join a particular group or start dating someone. They will be less likely to fall into abusive relationships.
Often, social workers integrate micro and mezzo practices to a greater effect. Mezzo social work addresses the challenges by involving groups such as neighborhoods and schools (Colby and Dziegielewski, 2016). It focuses on the change with a community rather than an individual. Therefore, by meeting the needs of the broader community, the individual challenges are alleviated as well. Mezzo social work can improve the lives of female trafficking survivors through the establishment of community organizations. Within the group, the survivors can acquire professional skills that aid them in securing better employment opportunities. Moreover, they can create healthy family relations, which most of them lack. The organizations can also help create awareness on the dynamics of human trafficking, and aid the justice and legal systems in eliminating the practice in that particular community. Finally, the groups are a beacon of hope to other women struggling with similar challenges. Mezzo social work is essential to the client. It addresses her specific problems by integrating her into a self-sustaining community.
Finally, macro-level social work engages larger systems in seeking a solution to a societal problem (Colby and Dziegielewski, 2016). For instance, social workers dealing with cases such as Juanita’s can reach out to federal and state lobby groups to seek the creation of laws and policies that help their clients. The other two levels of social work are ineffective if the legal system does not consider the clients as rightfully in the country. Moreover, instead of being treated as illegal immigrants, social workers, through the lobby groups, can push for policies that recognize the clients as victims, not criminals. Moreover, they can establish health care plans specifically for the victims and survivors of human trafficking. Also, social workers can campaign for the establishment of formal education systems and employment opportunities that improve the lives of their clients.
Social work is an essential element of the community today. It solves problems using approaches that are not at the disposal of legal and political entities. Juanita's case is one that can hugely benefit from an integration of the various aspects of social work practices. Therefore, social workers dealing with female survivors of human trafficking, such as Juanita, can work with their clients, one another, and third parties to mitigate the problems that they face.
References
Andreas, L. (2012). Pragmatic Professionalism: Micro-level Discourse in Social Work. European Journal of Social Work , 15(3), 295-312.
Colby, I., & Dziegielewski, S. F. (2016). Introduction to social work: The people’s profession. Chicago: Lyceum Books.
Hepburn, S., & Simon, R. (2010). Hidden in Plain Sight: Human Trafficking in the United States. Gender Issues , 27(1-2), 1-26.
Saunders, E., & Edelson, J. (1999). Attachment Style, Traumatic Bonding, and Developing Relational Capacities in a Long-Term Trauma Group for Women. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy , 49(4), 465-485.
