Occupational therapy and the quest for human dignity: Why human rights matter

 

 

Tania van der Merwe

B. Arb (UFS), M. Arb (UFS); Lecturer, Dept Occupational Therapy, University of the Free State

Correspondence

 

 

---

ABSTRACT

Human rights are often regarded as an encumbered term. People, who are marginalised by socio-political factors beyond their control, grapple with the relevance of human rights to their everyday life experience. Based on South Africa's history many citizens have experienced discriminatory barriers of some sort, therefore educating students and clients in human rights is imperative. This paper explores a critical view of the relevance of human rights to occupational therapy in terms of the various offices an occupational therapist occupies. An overview is given of possible challenges that might need to be overcome in applying the human rights framework in everyday life and practice with the view to stimulating discourse on cultivating a human rights culture in the occupational therapy profession's quest for human dignity.

Key words: occupational therapy, South Africa, human rights, human dignity

---

 

 

“Full text available only in PDF format”

 

 

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank Prof. Theresa Lorenzo, Unit for Disability Studies at the University of Cape Town for making possible the attendance of the 'Human Rights-and-Health-Train-the-Trainers-Course' in 2007. My sincere gratitude to Mr JC van der Merwe, Head of Department Philosophy at the University of the Free State, for his insightful suggestions, and invaluable teachings in argumentation and writing in the paradigm of critical theory. Thank you also to the reviewers for thorough and constructive feedback and valuable time. Finally, thank you to my students who continue to teach me the better ways to educate.

 

References

1. Townsend E, Wilcock A.A. Occupational justice and client-centred practice: A dialogue in progress. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2004; 71:77        [ Links ]

2. Schoeman PG. Ideolgy, culture and education. Bloemfontein: Tekskor BK, 2000: 56-57.         [ Links ]

3. Visagie JP. Ideology and culture: Reflections on posthumanism, multiculturalism and Africa. Acta Academica, 2004; 36:57-96.         [ Links ]

4. Van der Merwe T. The influence of ideologies on health care in South Africa. Chapter 13. In: T. Falola, M.M. Heaton, editors: Health knowledge and belief systems in Africa. Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press, 2008: 239-248.         [ Links ]

5. Health Professions Council of South Africa. Proposed core curriculum on human rights, ethics and medical law for health care practitioners. 2007. Pretoria.         [ Links ]

6. Jansen DJ. Knowledge in the blood. Confronting race and the apartheid past. California, USA: Stanford University Press, 2009:114-143, 53.         [ Links ]

7. Wintrup J. Widening participation through a foundation degree: Using ethical capability concepts to understand the meaning of social justice within caring relationships. In, Society for Research into Higher Education Annual Conference: Annual Conference, Liverpool, UK, 09-1 1 Dec 2008: 1-8. http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/65560/ (1 June 2009).         [ Links ]

8. Jaeger, S.M. (2001). Teaching Health Care Ethics: The Importance of Moral Sensitivity for Moral Reasoning. Nursing Philosophy, 2 (2): 131-142.         [ Links ]

9. Leget, C. (2004). Avoiding Evasion: Medical Ethics Education and Emotion Theory. Journal of Medical Ethics, 30: 490 - 493.         [ Links ]

10. Pollard N, Kronenberg F. Working with people on the margins. Chapter 30. In: J. Creek, L. Lougher, editors: Occupational therapy and mental health (4th Edition). Philadelphia: USA: Elsevier Limited, 2008: 553-577.         [ Links ]

11. Cage A. Occupational therapy with women and children survivors of domestic violence: Are we fulfilling our activist heritage? A review of the literature. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2007; 70:192-198.         [ Links ]

12. Professional Board for Occupational Therapy, Medical Orthotics/ Prosthetics and Arts Therapy. Submission of a qualification for registration with SAQA, 2006. Pretoria.         [ Links ]

13. Austen W. Using the human rights paradigm in health ethics: the problems and the possibilities. Nursing Ethics, 2001 ; 8(3): 183-195.         [ Links ]

14. Gruskin S, Tarantola D. Health and human rights, Chapter 4.1.,In: R. Detels, J. McEwen, R. Beaglehole and H. Tanaka, editors: Oxford textbook of public health (4th Edition). New York: Oxford University Press, 2002: 313.         [ Links ]

15. Kathambi Kinoti. 2008. Sixty years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. http://www.awid.org/Issues-and-Analysis/Library/Sixty-years-of-the-Universal-Declaration-of-Human-Rights (27 May 2009).         [ Links ]

16. South African Constitution and Bill of Rights of 1996.         [ Links ]

17. Roosevelt FF 'Address to Senate." American Rhetoric, Speeches 2009:6 http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrthefourfreedoms.htm (6 June 2009)        [ Links ]

18. London L, Baldwin-Ragavin L. 'What are human rights?' Training Trainers for Health and Human Rights. Workshop Course notes. 2007. University of Cape Town, Department Public Health presented by Prof Leslie London (Department Public Health, UCT) and Prof Laurel Baldwin-Ragaven (Luce Prof. in Health & Human Rights, Trinity College, CN, USA).         [ Links ]

19. Karbanee, S. 'What are human rights?' Health and Human Rights: Train-the-Trainer Course. Lecture Notes. 2000. University of Cape Town, Department Public Health presented by Prof Leslie London (Department Public Health, UCT) and Prof Laurel Baldwin-Ragaven (Luce Prof. in Health & Human Rights, Trinity College, CN, USA).         [ Links ]

20. Hinman L.M. Ethics, a pluralistic approach to moral theory (4th Edition). Belmont, USA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008: 180-181.         [ Links ]

21. Achmat Z. Public lecture on human rights. University of the Free State. March 2009.         [ Links ]

22. Kronenberg F Pollard N. Political dimensions of occupation and the roles of occupational therapy. Plenary Presentation 2006. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2006; 60:619.         [ Links ]

23. Krog. A. 'This thing called reconciliation...' forgiveness as part of interconnectedness-towards-wholeness. South African Journal of Philosophy, 2008; 27:360.         [ Links ]

24. Nussbaum M. Patriotism and cosmopolitanism. The Boston Review, 1994:1-8 http://www.soci.niu.edu/~phildept/Kapitan/nussbauml.html (24 January 2007)        [ Links ]

25. Morin E. Seven complex lessons in education for the future. Paris: UNESCO. In Thibeault R. Globalisation, universities and the future of occupational therapy: Dispatches for the majority world. WFOT Congress. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 2006;53: 162-163.         [ Links ]

26. Benhabib S. The generalised and the concrete other: the Kohlber-Gilligan controversy and moral theory. 1987:415-416. http://2007.hegelsummerschool.info/files/readings/HSS08_Benhabib_preFraser.pdf (2 June 2008).         [ Links ]

27. London L. Human rights: A professional responsibility and institutional obligation. South African Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2008; 38:1.         [ Links ]

28. Watson R.M. South African occupational therapy values: 1997 submission to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. South African Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2008; 38:19.         [ Links ]

29. Nussbaum M.C. Cultivating Humanity, A classical defense of reform in liberal education. USA: President and Fellows of Harvard College, 1997:10.         [ Links ]

30. Townsend E. Enabling occupation in the 21st century: Making good intentions a reality. Australian Occupational therapy Journal, 1999; 46:147-159.         [ Links ]

31. Whiteford G. Knowledge, power, evidence: a critical analysis of key issues in evidence based practice. In G. Whiteford & V. Wright-St Clair (eds.) Occupation and Practice in Context. Marrickville: Australia, Elsevier Australia, 2005:46.         [ Links ]

32. WFOT (World Federation of Occupational Therapists). Position Statement on Human Rights, July 2006:1-2. www.netf.no/internas-jonalt/Human-_Rights_Position_StatementFinal.pdf (29 October 2006).         [ Links ]

33. De Witt PA. The "occupation" in occupational therapy. South African Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2002; 32: 2-7.         [ Links ]

34. Thibeault R. Globalisation, universities and the future of occupational therapy: Dispatches for the majority world. WFOT Congress. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 2006;53: 159-165.         [ Links ]

35. Watson RM. Being before doing: The cultural identity (essence) of occupational therapy. WFOT Congress 2006. Australian Occupational Therapy journal, 2006; 53:151-158.         [ Links ]

36. HPCSA statistics, 12 May 2009. Interview with Yvette Daffue, Occupational therapy helpdesk and statistics, tel: 021-338-9354, 1 June 2009.         [ Links ]

37. Zaaiman A. Personal Communication. (12 January 2010) Available at a.zaaiman@ndibano.co.za        [ Links ]

38. OTASA Website. (Ratified at Coucil 31-2001). http://www.otasa.org.za (4 June 2009).         [ Links ]

39. Joubert R. Are we the victims of our history? Editorial. South African Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2009; 39: 1.         [ Links ]

40. Van der Merwe T. Occupational therapy and Ideology: A critical perspective. Thesis in full requirement of Master's in Occupational Therapy. University of the Free State, Bloemfontein. 2006:        [ Links ]

41. Zizek S. The obscenity of human rights: Violence as symptom. Slavoj Zizek-Bibliography, Lacan.com, 2005: 5 http://www.lacan.com/zizviol.htm (9 December 2007).         [ Links ]

42. Mutua M. Human Rights. Political & Cultural Critique. Philadelphia, USA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002:10-31.         [ Links ]

43. Mamdani M. Beware human rights fundamentalism! Mail & Guardian, 2009:1-5. Available at http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-03-20-beware-human-rights-fundamentalism (20 January 2010)        [ Links ]

44. Nussbaum MC. Women and human development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000:7.         [ Links ]

45. Wilcock A.A. Reflections on doing, being and becoming. Australian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1999;46: 1-11.         [ Links ]

46. Garret J. Martha Nussbaum on capabilities and Human Rights. The human development and capability association website 2008:3. http://www.wku.edu/~jan.garrett/ethics/nussbaum/htm (17 May 2009).         [ Links ]

47. Nussbaum MC. Human rights and human capabilities. Harvard Human Rights Journal, 2007; 20:23,24 http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/hrj/iss20/nussbaum.pdf (23 July 2008).         [ Links ]

48. Nussbaum MC. Capabilities and disabilities: Justice for mentally disabled citizens. The Religion and Culture Web Forum. Chicago University, 2003: 1-31.         [ Links ]

49. Mitra S. The capability approach and disability. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 2006; 16:236-247.         [ Links ]

50. Sakellariou D, Simó Algado S. Sexuality and disability: a Case of occupational injustice. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2006; 69: 70-71.         [ Links ]

51. Wilcock A.A. Occupation for Health, Volume 1, A Journey from Self-Health to Prescription. London; UK: British College of Occupational Therapists. 2001:5.         [ Links ]

 

 

Correspondence:
Tania van der Merwe
vdMRauchT@ufs.ac.za