PRISON RAPE USING A HUMAN

RIGHTS AND SOCIAL WORK FRAMEWORK

Alex Krafchek

RAINN

MISSION:The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization.

RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE and the National Sexual Assault Online

Hotline at rainn.org, and publicizes the hotlines’ free, confidential services; educates the public about sexual violence; and leads national efforts to prevent sexual violence, improve services to victims and ensure that

rapists are brought to justice

RESEARCH

• Just Detention International• Human Rights Watch• Amnesty International• UN• Social Work Abstracts

PRISON VS. GENERAL PUBLIC• Youth: 12%• Adults: 4.4% of prison inmates and 3.1% of jail

inmates• Power and Inmate Hierarchy• Targets for future abuse• Vulnerable groups• Lack of counseling available• Fear of retaliation (“snitching”)• HIV & STDs/Public health concerns• Slavery

PUBLICOPINION

LAWS

• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 1992

• The Optional Protocol to the ICCPR • Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel,

Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT)

• Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) in 2003• Optional Protocol to CAT

SOCIAL WORK ABROAD VS. US

• Application in its infancy• International Federation of Social Workers

(IFSW)• International Association of Schools of Social

Work (IASSW)

SOCIAL JUSTICE VS. HUMAN RIGHTS

• Libertarian, utilitarian, egalitarian theory• Encyclopedia of Social Work lists three parts

to social justice, including: legal, commutative and distributive justice

NEEDS VS. RIGHTS

• DEF: “The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in poverty…”

• Rights focus brings accountability, entitlements, obligations

MACRO VS. MICRO PRACTICE

• Push for licensure• Professionalization of the field• Private practice• Reimbursement from insurance

UNIVERSALISM VS. CULTURAL RELATIVISM

• Cultural competency standards• Value cultural diversity• Work with diverse populations

REFRAME/REFOCUS ISSUE

• Blaming the victim • Blaming the individual perpetrator• Back to macro focus

FUTURE RESEARCH

• Education• Steps to connect the two fields• Submit paper to RAINN