Affiliation: University of Johannesburg, Department of Social Work and Community Development
ABSTRACT South Africa has made notable progress in broadening human rights issues in communities since 1994. However, there is still more to be done if the human rights are to be fully achieved as per Constitutional requirements. The right to equality, human dignity and social welfare are entrenched as fundamental rights in the South African Constitution. Thus the ability of community development practitioner, social workers and civil society organisations such as NPO’s to address human rights issues within the context of community development is regarded as vital to improve the well-being of communities, including the most vulnerable members in society. It is therefore important that these stakeholders should work collectively to address human rights deficiencies in communities to achieve social justice instead of working in silos. This paper will extensively examine the human rights challenges and dynamics within the context of community development, particularly the right to equality, human dignity and social welfare. The study adopted a qualitative approach and an exploratory-descriptive qualitative (EDQ) research design. One-on-one interviews and a semi-structured interview schedule will be used as a data collection tool. Implications for practitioners and practice will be presented based on the findings in this paper.
Key words: Community Development, Constitution, Equality, Social Justice, Human Dignity and Social Welfare
