The first international social work conference, 'Social Deprivation, Child Protection and Human Rights', was held in Greece on 1–3 November 2019.
Ana Radulescu, the President of IFSW Europe, held a speech about poverty and the approaches of social workers in Europe. She highlighted that many children suffer nutritional deprivation and many countries, including Greece, have been unable to tackle this issue properly. She further stated that ‘In poverty, the dangerous thing is the loss of dignity and the trust of parents in their own ability to take care of their children’.
Charity, social work and social justice are creating a chance for change. The possible ways to fight poverty are:
- Understanding the context of families and guiding affected families towards the resources that will lift them out of poverty,
- Helping people avoid decision-making biases in poverty
- Engaging people to seek long-term solutions
Social workers are also affected by poverty; it's hard to stay strong when this is happening even to them. They should stay close to each other, inspire each other, and try to achieve change for children and their families.
Finally, Radulescu congratulated the social workers and the Association for building a strong social work profession and sustainable social services in Greece.