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The Problems of Working Women in Garments Factories in Faisalabad City
by
(Khurram Shahzad, Nankana Sahib)

1.0 INTRODUCTION: -

During the last decade a new phenomenon has emerged in rural and urban Pakistan that has started to significantly change the gendered structure of the labor market, women have increasingly entered the office sector and have started to work in middle level occupations that were regarded as exclusively male professions only few years ago. They work as secretaries, receptionist, and telephone operators, as drafts women designers, and computer operators. These women still constitute a very small minority among the male workers as well as among the women working in other professions. Such a move from the “female jobs” i.e. teaching and medicine has also resulted in pronounced effects on the social status of the working women. In Pakistani society working women have initiated willingly or unwillingly a process of desegregation of the lives of men and women, which has started at the work place, but which might also influence the whole social and gender order of society. Furthermore the entry of women into the labor market has fundamentally changed the status of these women, and it has changed existing societal concepts and expectations towards working women concerning their way of life, planning career choices and their status in family as well as in the society.

Islam has given the highest Position to the women on earth. Islam has accorded women a position of honour, respect, safety and love that has not been yet matched to this day. The status of women in Islam is given on the basis of equality and honour. Each of the five pillars is as important for women as for men and there is no differentiation in their reward. Hazrat Khadija, the wife of our Holy Prophet, conducted the business affairs by herself. This stands as a golden example before us.

As far so the capabilities of women are concerned, they are no less than men. Even from our independences earlier days, women have worked to overcome outdated social attitudes and to improve conductions for their sisters in the country. Yet the Pakistan population census of 1981.States that only three percent of these builders of the nation are what the government defines as ' working women'. This is a gross distortion of women’s actual economic contribution to the national productivity. (The News, 2001)

The women work just as hard as men, but they receive only half of their salary. Some of them do vocational jobs like knitting, stitching of garments, making of baskets, chairs and carpets etc.

Dr. Malik who is the Chairman of peace, Justice and Human Rights Commission of the Church of Pakistan, said in a massage on the event of the international women’s day that "Without the progress of women, society could not be put on the road to prosperity.

Working women are probably the most important for natural and national development. For a developing country, like Pakistan female labour force is as important as material ones. In our country female labour force has not been fully utilized because of their un- organizing supply, lack of training, want of job opportunities, insecure social environment and inadequate economic incentives.

Working women have to carry the extra load of work physically and physiologically. The work done by a woman for the household is more valued as compared to her role outside the family. It is thought that employment of woman affects relationship at home and she is considered a deviant member of the society. Inspire of all hindrance, Pakistani woman is fully aware of the situational demand for work and she is motivated to work for the improvement of herself, her family and ultimately her country.
Factories are one of the sectors where a lot of women work. In our country, due to rapid growth of industrialization there are more job opportunities for women in factories making garments for export.

Sewing, knitting, cutting, packing of clothes, weaving, embroidery and different other jobs are available in garments making factories. Working women are mainly facing three types of harassment at work place namely mental harassment, physical harassment and sexual harassment.

The problem faced by women in factories needs probing like adverse attitude of society members. The main aim of this research is to investigate the problems faced by the working women in garments factories. The present study is an attempt to look into various economics in which women are involved; their participation and satisfaction regarding their social and economics roles and their status in the changing economy.

2.0 OBJECTIVES: -

1. To explore the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents.
2. To investigate the nature of work that women are performing in Garment factories.
3. To find out the socio-economic and cultural factors which motivate the women to work in Garment factories?
4. To find out the perception of women about their work.
5. To asses the satisfaction level of working women regarding their work.
6. To identify the problems which working women often face.
7. To suggest some guidelines to reduce the problems of working women.

3.0 REVIEW OF LITERATURE: -

Sadia (2002) reported that according to Islam, women have greater responsibility to shoulder in the society and so, her participation must be much more extensive, not just limited to a career etc.

Yasmeen (2002) observed in her theses titled ''A Study of Problems of Working Women in export garment factories''. She observed that mostly the working women belonged to poor families. To Yasmeen due to lack of education youngsters have low awareness about their problems and they were reported satisfied told that their economic needs and problems forced them to work in that situation. Most of them were treated badly by the male colleagues. They had to face unfavorable attitude of relatives and society members. However, she found that the perception of people towards working women is changing but with low speed.

Hussain (2002) in his article ''curbing work place harassment ''concluded that I may be emphasized that the problems of harassment of women at the work place is not just a legal issue it is equally a social one through recognition of the principle of equal right and status of women and their full and effective participation in all sphere of national life. Daily times 2007 concluded that factory working women face harassment, a workplace unavailability of toilets ,nursery for their children where as home based working women get very low wages and not suitable working conditions, which results in mental and physical problems.

4.0 METHDOLOGY: -

The methodological techniques and ways of analyzing the observations play a significant role in social research. According to Nachmias and Nachmias (1981)''The scientific methodology is a system of explicit rules and procedures upon which research is based and against which the claims for knowledge are evaluated''.

UNIVERSE:
According to Dixon and Marry (1957), universe is ''Any set of individuals or objects having common observable characteristics.” The universe of the present study will be working women in Garment factories located in Faisalabad City. However two factories Chenab Fabrics and Masood Textile Mills Ltd. (MTM) will be surveyed.

SAMPLING FRAME:
All the working women working in Garment factories in Faisalabad City are sampling frame. The list of working women will be collected from Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCAD), Faisalabad.

SAMPLING:
Simple Random sampling technique will be used in this study.

SAMPLE:
According to Goode and Hatt (1952),''A sample refers to small representation of the universe.'' There are one thousand women working in Masood Textile Mills and three thousand are working in Chenab Fabrics. The researcher will select 120 working women out of which 30 from Masood Textile Mills and 90 from Chenab Fabrics Faisalabad i.e. with the proportionate of 1:3.

TOOL FOR DATA COLLECTION:
According to Chaudhry (1984), “the most important part of statistically work is perhaps data collection” .The data will be collected with the help of interview schedule, consisting of a set of questions which will be asked from the respondents by interviews in a face to face situation.

DATA ANALYSIS:
Both descriptive and inferential statistics will be used for analysis of data. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) will be used for analysis of data.



BIBLIOGRAPHY : -

Chaudhry 1984 An Investigation to the Problems of Working Women, M.Sc. Thesis. Deptt of Rural Sociology. Univ.of Agriculture, Faisalabad.
Dixon,W.and F.Marry, Jr. 1957 An Introduction to Statistical Analysis McGraw Co. New York.
Dawn 2000 '' No Prosperity Without Women Progress''. A report of Dawn,
Goode,W.J.and P.K.Hatt 1952 Method in Social research (McGraw Hill Co. New York.
Hussain 2002 An article on ''Curbing work place harassment'','Dawn''.
Maqsood 2001 ''Women in Practical Life''The News International”
Nachmias, D. and C.Nachmias 1981 Research Methods in Social Sciences.Second
Edition. Press New York.
Regab 2001 ''Women in Islam have Rights''.Taken from the chronicle of Duke Univ.

Traditional Bone Setting in Pakistan

PERCEPTION OF PEOPLE ABOUT TRADITIONAL BONE-SETTING
A Synopsis for Social Research

By

(Hasnain Ali Shah, Chiniot)

(Shafiq Ahmad Khalid, Narowal)

GC University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.

ABSTRACT: -

The practice of traditional bone-setting is a branch of traditional medicine, which has a great recognition in rural societies of Pakistan but also in urban setup as well. Despite the increasing popularity of this branch of traditional medicine particularly in urban centers, Western health institutions undermine its potency; thus many people who cannot afford the cost of modem healthcare are discouraged from the traditional option. This study was designed to assess the perception and attitude of people towards traditional bone-setting with a view to ascertaining if the practice can be regarded as an alternative therapy. The study seeks to enlighten all the stakeholders in the health care system about traditional bone-setting in Hafizabad city. Data would be generated through quantitative research techniques. Hundred respondents would be involved in the research. The study established in the people suffered from some sort of fractures and practicing traditional bone-setting. People believe in the potency of the traditional bone-setting more than western orthopaedics because it is affordable, accessible and accommodating to patients. It was further established that there is need to integrate the traditional bone-setting into Western orthopaedic practice for sustainable health care system in the area.

Traditional bonesetters (TBS) have been in region for centuries. Most of the patients with fractures present first to the traditional bonesetters before coming to the hospital and therefore this mode of care delivery cannot be overlooked in societies like Pakistan. We attempted to document the current practice of traditional bone-setting in Hafizabad city and their methods of fracture treatment with a view to training and improving the services offered by them. We carried out a literature search to review all previous studies on traditional bonesetters’ practice and visited a few of them to document their current practice. The only change in the management of fractures by the traditional bone-setting over the past few years was the use of spiritual methods of healing to treat open comminuted fractures; a technique for which no scientific basis was readily discernible. There is a need to educate and train the traditional bone-setting in effective management of both open and closed fractures. Such training should be provided by orthodox orthopedic surgeons with a view to minimizing mismanagement of fractures.

INTRODUCTION: -

Indigenous systems of medicine do not limit themselves to just fulfilling the needs of primary health care, but also reach out to specialized areas like treatment of eye diseases, poisons (snake and insect bites), bone setting, and ancient acupressure and so on. Unfortunately these specialized areas are not so well known.

One such popular but little known area is that of bone-setting. Many interesting facts have been described in ancient ayurvedic classics on the management and treatment of fractures including the different kinds of bandages and slings to be used. Orthopaedic cases like fractures - both simple and compound, dislocations and sprains are common in rural and even in some of urban areas. Revitalizing the existing precious science of bone setting would be a cost-effective alternative for the costly "state of the art" techniques of surgical reduction, heavy Plaster of Paris plasters and long periods of immobilization.

The science of bone setting is included in ayurveda. To begin with, there is a detailed study of the types and number of bones. There are five types of bones flat bones, small cubical bones, cartilages, curved bones like rib bones, and long or tubular bones. Traditional bone-setting depends on the manipulative reduction of broken bones, external fixation with splints or with a functional brace that provides limited immobilization of a fracture site and mobilization of other joints. This way, the patient, through the movements that are possible, exercises the limb.

Broken bones are set with tabb or splints. These are varying lengths and sizes of wood in sets of four, firmly tied around the site of the fracture with strings or date palm fronds after padding it with cloth. This method has changed very little over the years. It is equally true that bone-setting, has been accompanied by several complications, some of them serious. This is to be expected because many healers are ignorant of anatomy and modern techniques of the craft. Their shortcomings are particularly exposed when they try setting compound fractures, spinal cord injuries, and difficult fractures.

Closed soft tissue injuries can result from falls, blows, collisions and compressions. They give rise to crushed parts, sprains, contusions or more serious injuries. All are managed with massage and manipulation using a variety of oils, ointments, poultices and bandaging, as well as rest.

OBJECTIVES: -

The objectives of this study are elaborated as under,
1. To gauge the perception of individuals about the methods of traditional bone-setting.
2. The aim of this trial was to establish the effectiveness of traditional bone setting compared with conventional physical and exercise therapy.
3. Compare the cost effectiveness of traditional bone setting and conventional physical and exercise therapy.
4. To know the extent of use of radiography in traditional bone setting and its impact on perception of individuals.

LITERATURE REVIEW: -

The importance of the review of the literature lies in the fact that it highlights the background of the problem to be studied. It also provides further orientations about the problem and eliminates possibility of unnecessary duplication of efforts. In addition, valuable information on research techniques may be gained from reports of earlier research. A few comprehensive studies have yet been conducted in Pakistan on problem under study. However, some of available literature related to the problem under investigation is reviewed under the chapter.

A Ikpeme, A M Udosen, I Okereke-Okpa (2007) conducted study on “Patients' perception of traditional bone setting in Calabar” and concluded that traditional bone setting is popular for varied reasons. The freedom to advertise may have helped to woo a public already biased towards traditional bone setting by cultural attachment. A paradigm shift is necessary to reverse the trend.

Dr. M. Radhika (2000) conducted study on “a traditional bone-setting” and concluded that astonishing thing in most traditional centres is that the chief physician is not a qualified vaidya from an institution but carries on the hereditary service of his ancestors. They do not have a prescribed fee pattern. Each patient gives what he can afford as an offering. These centres render invaluable service to the people in their neighbourhood who are mostly villagers, farm workers and tree climbers who definitely cannot afford treatment for fracture in a modern orthopaedic hospital.

Zaproudina N, Hänninen OO, Airaksinen O (2007) conducted study on “Effectiveness of traditional bone setting in chronic neck pain: randomized clinical tria” and concluded that Traditional bone setting, which is a soft manual mobilization technique focusing on the muscles, joints, and ligaments, appears to be effective in cNP. Two thirds of subjects experienced it as beneficial, and it seems to be able to improve disability and pain in patients with cNP. Subjective and partially objective benefits of TBS were found in those patients more than after other interventions, and the effects lasted at least for 1 year.

B. Omololu, S. O. Ogunlade and V. K. Gopaldasani (2008) conducted study on “The Practice of Traditional Bonesetting: Training Algorithm” and concluded that Traditional bonesetters (TBS) have been in Nigeria for centuries. Up to 85% of patients with fractures present first to the traditional bonesetters before coming to the hospital and therefore this mode of care delivery cannot be overlooked in Nigeria

AI Eshiet, AM Udosen, IU Ilor, OE Ngim, SG Akpan (2004) conducted the study on “Methods of Pain Management by Traditional Bonesetters: Experiences in the South-South Zone of Nigeria” and revealed clear evidence of ignorance of a need for adequate and proper analgesia and anesthesia during bone treatment among the TBS and their clients. There is a need to draw the TBS together for the purpose of education and awareness so as to discourage this aspect of harmful Tradition practices in our society.

METHODOLOGY: -

Methodology is the science indicating ways of doing something properly. Methodology deals with the theory of study, the description, the explanation, and the justification of methods, not the application of methods themselves. The aim of the methodology precisely is to help the researchers to understand the broadest possible terms, not the products of scientific and research inquiries, but the process itself because in essence the Methodology is the science of studying how research is done objectively and scientifically.

In present study, field survey was used. Despite few demographic questions, most of the demographic and variable questions were closed ended as needed in the study.

Universe:
The universe of the present study comprises of the individuals having some sort of bone-fractures. Numbers of the respondents is 100. The researchers try to represent the population of district Hafizabad. Hafizabad has traditional bone-setting industry that’s why researcher selected it as a target population.

Sampling:
After selection of the universe, the next step is sampling. For present study haphazard sampling technique is used because the researchers want to represent the maximum representation of the population.

Instrument for Data Collection:
Interview schedule was used as a tool for data collection for the present study. There were following reasons for choosing the interview schedule as a tool of data collection. Target population was not consisting of only literate persons, so illiterate population could also participate. Through interview schedule, researchers could probe and get complete and accurate answers. More responses could receive through this tool for data collection as compared to others and actual respondent alone could answer the questions. While interviewing, the researchers could control the environment, question order, and judge non-verbal behavior of the respondents.

References: -
1. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2007 Jul-Aug;30(6):432-7
2. Special issue with the Sunday Magazine
From the publishers of THE HINDU Indian health traditions: October 08, 2000
3. Port Harcourt Medical Journal Vol. 1 (2) 2007: pp.104-108
4. Oyebola DD. Yoruba traditional bonesetters: the practice of orthopaedics in a primitive setting in Nigeria. J Trauma. 1980;20:312–322.
5. Onuminya JE. Performance of a trained traditional bone setter in primary fracture care. S Afr Med J. 2006;96:320–322.
6. Onuminya JE. The role of the traditional bone setter in primary fracture care in Nigeria. S Afr Med J. 2004;94:652–658.

Perception of the Males towards Family Planning in Rural Areas
(A Case study of union council Shah Bilawal, District Nankana Sahib)
by
Hasnain Raza, Faisalabad

1.0 INTRODUCTION: -
The most important problem of human beings today is not infectious diseases but population. The world population now is higher than at any tome its history. The main problem is the rate of population increases. Statistics show that population of the world was about 1 billion in1850.Eighty year later; in 1930 the population had doubled (2 billion). Only 46 year after that, in 1976, it had doubled again (Ministry of Health and Medical Education, 1995). Today, it is 6.7684 billion population of the world. (United State Census Bureau, 2 July 2009).
Pakistan is one of the few countries of the world whose government has adopted and actively Implementing a national program of family planning. Having completed a challenging year and a half as the first family planning consultant to the government of Pakistan. I believe it important that American public health worker know something of the population problems there and what is being done about them. Family planning program adopted in the second five year plan (1960-1965) is simple and not unlike that of neighboring India which related a simple stage about three year earlier. The program is proposed for 20 year, after which sufficient awareness, motivation, and resources are anticipated to insure continuing family planning without increase government support. The program has four principal elements.
o Family planning services and materials provided as an added regular function of existing health services to 1,200,000 families. (About 10 per cent of families of productive age) by July, 1965, with efforts concentrated initially in urban areas and with foam tablets method.
o Family planning training of at least 1,200 technical persons (doctors, nurses, health visitors) each year by four special provincial training institutes, plus basic information to outlying personnel and village workers by two touring training teams, plus to enable selected Pakistanis to return to key family planning posts in Pakistan.
o Family planning publicity and education carried out as an intensive drive by the Central and Provincial Governments.
o Family planning action reaches demonstration projects assisted by American and Swedish aid.
To accomplish these goals, a development budget of 30.5 million rupees (one rupee is 21 cents) of 1960-1965 was adopted. Foreign aid amounting to 9 million rupees for 1961-1964 was obtained from the ford fountation and Sweden and the essential administrative units created in the central and provincial government. (Leslie Corsa, 1963).

2.0 OBJECTIVES: -
• To find out the socio economic characteristics of the respondents.
• To assess the knowledge of the respondents towards family planning.
• To determine the level of awareness among males about various family planning methods.
• To explore the negative attitude of males towards family planning and contraceptive use.
• To suggest measure, to use the contraceptives and various family planning methods.

3.0 REVIEW OF LITERATURE: -
Khopkar (1992) The extent to which urban women of lower socioeconomic status in India are aware of the breadth of current population growth and its consequences, and of the means available to control their fertility, is explored using data collected in the city of Pune in 1991, concerning 219 women. The results suggest that about three-quarters were aware of the consequences, and about half knew how to practice family planning.
Michele (1994) Found evidence that adolescent males who had multiple partners during the previous six month are more likely to have ever used condoms then those who have been celibate are monogamous is both reassuring and perplexing. It is reassuring if the explanation is that the young men most at risk for being exposed to and for decides to use condoms. He suggested that a prospective study would shed more light on this issue. Spreading sexually transmitted diseases are more likely to take precautions. I t is a matter of concern if the explanation for this finding is that for some young men it may take exposures to multiple partners before they decide to use condoms. He suggested that a prospective study would shed more light on this issue.
Kate (2004) Found that three quarters of the married men were using contraception, but the majority stated that their wives were responsible for it. The common reproductive health complaint was urinary problems, 28% had burning on urination and 22% reported frequent and /or difficult urination. There were few social are demographic differences between men with and without problems. Seventeen percent of the men had clinically diagnosed reproductive health problems, the most common being urethral discharge. None of the men which diagnosed problems were using condoms.

4.0 METHODOLOGY: -
The scientific methodology is a system of explicit rules and procedures upon which research is based against which the claims of knowledge are evaluated. (Nachmias, 1992).

The Universe:
There are three Tehsils in districts Nankana sahib .Universe for the present study consists of union council Shah Bilawal. This union council consists of fifteen villages and its population is 16245 persons. There are more illiterate males in union council Shah Bilawal.

The Sample Size:
There are fifteen villages in union council Shah Bilawal and three villages will be selected in union council Shah Bilawal by simple random sampling technique. Afterwards 120 respondents (married males) for the study will be selected randomly. An equal representation will be given to each village by selecting 40 respondents from each.

Data Collection Tools:
An interview schedule will be developed in the light of objectives of the study. An interview will consist of a set of questions, which will be asked from the respondents in a face to face interaction.

Data Analysis:
The collected data will be analyzed by using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). Both descriptive and inferential analysis will be connected.

Interpretation of Data:
The collected data will be interpreted by using graphs (Linear Groups, Pie Groups).


BIBLIOGRAPHY: -

Dr. Corsa, 1963, Mental and Child Health and Mental Health Sections of the American Public Health Association, Kansas.
Khopkar, 1992, Awareness of the dimensions of the population explosion and awareness of means of family planning among lower socio-economic class women in Pune, India.
Michele. D. W, 1994, Attitudes, knowledge, and behavior regarding condom use in urban black adolescent males.
Ministry of Health and Medical Education, 1995, Population and Family Planning in Iran, Tehran.
Kate, M. D, 2004, Male Reproductive Health: A village based study of camp attenders in rural India,

Sociology of Social Work
by
M. Akram Mehar
MSc Sociology
mehar_skp@yahoo.com

Social work has its roots in the struggle of society to deal with poverty and the resultant problems. Therefore, Social work is intricately linked with the idea of charity work, but must be understood in broader terms. The concept of charity goes back to ancient times. In our society, the concept of social worker is very poor and people called them with bad names such as thieves. As a result, the social worker feels the sense of inferiority. But in the developed countries, the situation is its reciprocal, i.e. its concept is very high and enables the people to withstand.
Sociology: “It is the sociological study of human behaviors and their interactions with the members of group within the society”. Simply, it is the study of human groups with their structures and functions.
Social Work: It focuses on needy/un-empowered segment of the population and converted them in the empowered form. We can say that it focuses always on poor people and create ego among them to improve their life standard. Moreover, social work means to help and assistance rendered to poor people/person due to religious inspiration i.e. religious values contributes a lot in social work activities.
Marvin D. Fiet said that, “Social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment, and liberation of people to enhance well beings.” Here empowerment means to empower females in traditional societies and liberation means the liberty of thoughts and expression.
William Harley said that; “Social work is an art that helps people to solve personal, group and community problems and to attain satisfying persona, group and community relationships through social work practice”.
Social work focuses on those individuals/societies that are looking at others for help to fulfill their needs and basic necessities of life. Social work helps those who are unable to fulfill their needs and are living in miserable conditions. It contributes to uplift the standard of life of needy people. For example NGOs provide sewing machines to widows so that they can earn money to run their life, Rotary Club International engaged in this task.

Social work is an art; it requires great skill to understand people and to help them to help themselves.

Overall, it focuses on needy people. This is the help of poor to make them able to stand on their own feet. Simply we can say that; it is the discipline of Sociology. We can say that; the main focus of social work is upon helping people to improve their social functioning.

Assumptions of Social Work

Social work is based upon certain following assumptions;
o Social work has problem solving functions,
o Social work practice is an art with a scientific and value foundation,
o Social work is a profession continues to develop,
o The knowledge needed for social work is determined by its goals and functions and the problems it seeks to solve,
o Professional skill is expressed in the activities of social worker.


Basic Functions of Social Work

Social work has a number of functions within the society to uplift the society, but these functions are considered to be basic;
(1)- Restoration, (2)- Provision of Resources, (3)- Prevention of Social Dysfunction.


Distinguishing Characteristics of Social Work

o There are the following distinguishing characteristics of social work;
o It focus on the totality of the persons,
o It emphasize on the importance of the family in moldy and influencing behavior,
o It utilizes the community resources in helping people to solve the problems,
o It has unique educational program including class work,
o The relationship is the key in the social work process,
o It place considerable stress upon understanding people,
o Most social workers are employed in agency settings.

Traditional Forms of Social Work

Social work is not a recent phenomenon. It was started with the establishment of civilized society. So, there are the following traditional forms of social work;
o Charity/Zakaat: It is the oldest form of social work. Its main objective is to assist the needy, poor, orphan, widows in the society. One good thing with this is that the people receiving charity/zakaat do not feel any inferiority complex. People also give charity for religious satisfaction by considering it as a religious duty.
o Mutual Aid: In natural calamities which are also trials for human beings e.g. earth quacks, wind storms, floods, etc, people help each other for rehabilitations. That is the mutual aid. Through mutual aid, people can rehabilitate their livelihood more easily. It decreases the burden of the government and also divides its responsibility.
o Social Supports Network: These come into existence to organize the potentials of the poor people and then to use it effectively. For example NRSP, PRSP, AKRSP, etc. Through these networks philanthropists establish schools, hospitals, and other social welfare institutions for the needy/poor people. They establish them for the promotion of life standard of needy persons.
o State Assistance: State/Government also performs the activities of social work. It launches different types of programs for this purpose. For example Benazir Income Support Program in Pakistan. Social work requires the effectiveness of such programs/schemes.
o Religious Institution: Its main objective is to meet the basic daily expenditures and needs of its students. For example religious institutions have to manage food and residence for their learners. These are the major elements in social work, particularly in the traditional and religious societies. They receive funds if any disaster occurs. In this way; religious institutions also do a lot for social work.

Relationship/Role/Comparison of Sociology and Social Work

Sometimes, there remains a confusion that both are the same having same objectives. But the reality is that they are two different disciplines. Sociology is a vast phenomenon and social work is it’s under having limited objectives and targets.

Sociology:
o It is the scientific analysis of society and its problems.
o Sociologists gather the community on common plate form in order to improve their livelihood.
o It focuses on every sphere of life, e.g. economic, social, political development, etc. Integration of these developments makes the society more prosperous.
o Sociologist use participatory approaches to make CBO (Community Based Organization) for the solution of the problems of society.
o Sociology is a vast phenomenon. Sociologist focuses on all spheres of life, for example; education, culture, interactions, dressings, etc.

Social Work:
o It uses the scientific methods to solve the problems of society. (Here the questions arose that; how social worker use the scientific method to solve the problems? The answer is that; He motivates adductors to leave addiction, He introduces different games, He suggests different companies to distribute free syringes, and many more.)
o Social workers inspire the community to adjust itself to face the situations. It focuses upon accommodations e.g. he acts as mediator in conflicts.
o It focuses on needy persons, persons who are in miserable conditions, to solve their problems. For example; mentally retorted people. And also focuses on those welfare institutions which deliver their service for such needy people, e.g. SOS Village.
o Social workers try to apply basic assumptions to solve the problems of the society. Social workers give awareness among the members of CBO that how they can use their potential to utilize their skills, how they can apply their rules in practical form. For example; social workers promote positive thinking among the addicts. They try to abstain to adductors from its past.
o Social work is the part/sub-discipline of sociology.

We can conclude that; sociology and social work share much in common but are also different in many ways because the social work profession is emphasizing the generalist perspective to deal with complexities of modern society.

Paradigms of Sociology

In the mid-1970’s, when the paradigm concept was at the height of its influence, sociology was characterized by three basic paradigms;
(1)- Social Fact Paradigm, (2)- Social Definition Paradigm, and (3)- Social Behavior Paradigm. These differed fundamentally in their image of the subject matter of sociology.

• Social Facts Paradigm focusing on large-scale social structures and institution,
• Social Definition Paradigm focusing on the way people constructs their social worlds and
act and interact on the basis of those construction, and
• Social Behavior Paradigm focusing on behavior that is less dependent on social
constructions.

Adherents of each paradigm have different exemplars. To the social factist, it is the work of Emile Durkheim (who created the term social fact), to the social definitionist, it is that of Max Weber on social action, and to the social behaviorist it is the work of the preeminent psychological behaviorist, B.F. Skinner. Based on these differences in image of the subject matter and exemplar, those within each paradigm tend to develop and use different methods and theories that fit best with that image of what is to be studied and with the basic orientation of the exemplar. Thus, sociology tended to be characterized by three distinct paradigms each with its own set of images, exemplars, theories and methods. These paradigms tended to be deeply at odds with one another, questioning each other’s focus and most basic assumptions.

Religious Minorities' Rights Evaluation

GOVERNMENT COLLEGE UNIVERSITY FAISALABAD
Department of Sociology

Title: The Evaluation of Religious Minority Rights in the Rural Areas of Tehsil Sheikhupura.


Name of Student: Muhammad Akram

Roll No. 1238

Name of Supervisor: Dr. Haq Nawaz Anwar


1.0 Introduction
A Minority is a sociological group that does not constitute a politically dominant voting majority of the total population of a given society. A sociological minority is not necessarily a numerical minority.It may include any group that is subnormal with respect to a dominant group in terms of social status, education, employment, wealth and political power.
Sociologist Louis Wirth defined a minority group as "a group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.” (Wickypedia.com)
The term minority rights embodies two separate concepts: First, normal individual rights as applied to members of racial, ethnic, class, religious, linguistic or sexual minorities, and Second, collective rights accorded to minority groups.
The term may also apply simply to individual rights of anyone who is not part of a majority decision.
Minorities in all regions of the world continue to face serious threats and discrimination. They are frequently excluded from taking part fully in the economic, political and social life of their countries. Today, minority communities face new challenges, including legislation, policies for the country/nation. (Ms. Gay J. Mc Dougall, 29 July 2005).

Persons belonging to Religious Minorities have a faith which is different to that held by the majority. Most countries of the world have religious minorities. It is now widely accepted in the west that people should have the freedom to choose their own religion, including not having any religion (atheism or agnosticism), and including the right to convert from one religion to another. For example in Egypt, a new system of identity cards requires all citizens to state their religion - and the only choices are Islam, Christianity or Judaism.

In Pakistan, the voice of minorities has never touched the heart or mind of politicians. The tormenting experience of communal violence, transmigration of religious populations and the young and strident Muslim nationalism further muted the voice of minorities. In the bouts of political struggle for power, even liberal politicians remained silent on the issue of separate electorates. (Amir Taheri, New York Times, 11 July 2002)
There have been some positive developments in according basic rights to religious minorities, although in real terms their impact has been nullified by the growth of extremism and intolerance within the fabric of the society. Minorities kept the issue alive via the press, seminars and publications. In the past few years, two issues in Pakistan have received a lot of foreign attention: the status of women and the plight of minorities.
There are two main areas of challenge for the future of Pakistan's many minority groups:
 The growing influence of militant Islamic ideology.
 The continued discrimination against religious minorities in the provision of fundamental rights, including the right to education, employment, political participation and property rights.

The promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to minorities contributes to political and social stability and peace and enriches the cultural diversity and heritage of the society. (2005 World Summit of Heads of State and Government, approved by the General Assembly)

Majority rule processes towards minorities are extremely threatening. The majority uses simply the power of minorities to win the election, and after that the majority exploits the rights of minorities. This is why effective mechanisms for protecting minority rights are essential to the success of any democratic dispute resolution process. (Research Consortium, University of Colorado, USA)

Minorities frequently find democratic, majority rule processes to be extremely threatening. The danger is that the majority will simply use its power to win elections, and then take away the rights of the minority. This is why effective mechanisms for protecting minority rights are essential to the success of any democratic dispute resolution process.

1.1 Statement of Problems
When we talk or listen about minority, then some feelings of strange inferiority towards them arose in our mind. In general or theoretically, we claim that minorities should be provided with basic human rights, necessary for the smooth sailing of life. But in practical, our attitude towards them is almost totally different. Majority considers them as inferior and tries to suppress them in every race of life. It someone belonging to minority comes ahead in social life, then the majority considers it as condemn for themselves. In our areas, i.e. traditional, mostly minorities engage in bounded labor, for example, as brick laborers. Because of which the chances of their national mainstreaming seem rare. Minorities always claim that majority does not treat them well.

In case of minorities in Pakistan, the term ‘minority' is used in the 1973 Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on several occasions. Successive federal governments take minorities religious not ethnic, racial or linguistic minorities. Main religions: Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and Sikh.

According to the most recent (1998) census conducted by the Government of Pakistan, Hindus make up 1.20% of the population and Christians (Protestant and Roman Catholic) 1.9%, or around 2.3 million people and Sikh and Parsis are 0.31%. As according to the 1998 national census, 96.28 per cent of the population follows the Islamic faith. Non-Muslims constitute 3.72 per cent of the total population.

Regarding the role of Minorities in the development of Pakistan, No other non-Muslim religious community has contributed more to the social sector development of Pakistan than the Christians have. They work for the development of education and health throughout the country. They remain peaceful even in instable circumstances. Poor Christians have faced discrimination in both the urban and rural areas of the country. They have increasingly become the victim of religious intolerance and terrorism. (A.Rehman, 1998)

In Islamic point of view, Islam stresses the need for dialogue between the Muslim and other religious communities. Islam as a pluralistic religion considers dialogue legitimate. He said that Muslims and Christians are not effectively participating in addressing different problems like extremism, mistrust, lack of proper representation and authority. These can be addressed by comprising. And the success of interfaith dialogue depends much on its agenda. The agreement of participants on common points of agenda such as universal truth can be helpful in achieving the goals of interfaith dialogue. (Mehboob Sada, 2008).

Islam never supported communalism. The non-communal approach of Islam made it popular amongst the freedom-loving masses of the world. Islam emerged victorious over hearts and souls of people not by the sword but by its unique and humanistic moral teachings of mutual honor and respect. (Amit Chakraborty, 2006).
So, there is also less trend of social research towards them particularly in Pakistan. And because of these reasons, I feel the need to monitor and evaluate their rights so that necessary measures can be taken.

2.0 Objectives
 To find out the socio-economic characteristics of minorities.
 To explore the role of minorities in national integrity.
 To study the perception of minorities about government policies regarding minorities’ rights.
 To assess the perception of minorities about the attitude of majority towards them.
 To measure the satisfaction level of minorities about their rights.
 To suggest some measures for the protection f minority rights.

3.0 Review of Literature

The importance of the review of the literature lies in the fact that it highlights the background of the problem to be studied. It also provides further orientations about the problem and eliminates possibility of unnecessary duplication of efforts. In addition, valuable information on research techniques may be gained from reports of earlier research. However, some of available literature related to the problem under investigation is reviewed under the chapter.
Blair, 1994 said that; actual contribution of minorities in the development of the state plays a vital role to moderate and balance the state. The minorities also have some qualities as they are human beings. There is the need to explore their potentials so that genuine development in the society can be achieved.
Duffar, 1995 claimed that; the provision of basic rights such as education and liberty of language encourage the minorities to promote the state priorities. This thing is associated to the condition to protect their identity.
Rohmer, 1998 suggest that; the minorities are not provided with basic needs to live smoothly. They are trying to ignore in different sectors of life. As a result, they become more and more weakened. He said that, the provision of basic rights to minorities can be thus seriously question able.
Henrard, 2000 suggested that; a minority is a population group which has different ethnic, religious and linguistic characteristics from the rest of the population. Minorities are non-dominant in the society. They are less in quantity than the rest of the population. And they always have the wish to hold on to it separate identity.
Günther Rautz, 2005 concluded that; the disputes between majority and minority are threat to the stability and solidarity in the society. The settlement of these disputes is inevitable for the maintenance of peaceful environment in the society. Without this settlement, stability and solidarity can’t be achieved. The numerous national legal standards on minority protection differ greatly from state to state.

Ms. Gay J. McDougall, 2005 said that; Respect for minority rights assists in achieving stable and prosperous societies. In such societies, the social security is achieved and shared by all. The dynamics of majority/minority relationships lead to the emergence of a range of minority issues

U.S. Department of State publication, 2008 claimed that; Minorities are suppressed because of their religious beliefs, geographic location, and low level of income. They wish that the government will protect their rights and self-identity. Once this is accomplished, such groups can participate in, and contribute to their country's democratic institutions.

4.0 Methodology
Methodology is actually a conceptual sketch or it is track that how to collect and analyze the information.
According to Nichmias and Nichmias (1992), “The methodology is a system of explicit rules and procedures upon which research is based and against which claims for knowledge are evaluated.”
Universe:
Dixon and Mary (1957) said that; “Any set of the individuals/objects having common observable characteristics constitute a population/universe”. We can say that;
It is that area where you are going to conduct the research. The present study will be conducted in the rural areas of Tehsil Sheikhupura.

Sampling Frame:
“It is the actual set/list of units from which a sample has been drawn.” The sampling frame of the present study will be the list of all minority household living in Tehsil Sheikhupura.

Sampling:
“Sampling is a technique which is used in almost every field in order to collect information.” Two union councils having maximum households of minorities will be selected randomly at first stage. Afterward six villages (three from each union council) will be selected randomly at second level. I will use “Purposive Sampling” technique in the selection of respondents.
Sample:
According to Good and Hatt (1952), “A sample refers to small representation of the universe/population.” The sample of present study will be consisted of 120 respondents (60 from each union council).

Data Collection:
“The gathering of information (figures, words or responses) that describe some situation from which conclusions can be drawn”. According to Chaudhary, (1984), “The most important part of statistical work is perhaps the data collection.” The data will be collected by using survey method. The data will be collected by field surveyors which will be trained by the researcher.

Data Collection Tool:
The data will be collected by using a comprehensive and well structured “Interview Schedule”. According to Good and Hatt (1952), “Interview Schedule is a tool which is used by social scientists to get information accurately.” It will be developed in the light of the objectives of the study. It will be prepared both in English and Urdu.

Data Analysis:
“Data Analysis is a process of gathering, modeling and transforming data with the goal of highlighting useful information, suggesting conclusions and supporting decision making.”
The collected data will be analyzed by using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). Both the descriptive and inferential analysis will be conducted.

Interpretation of Data:
“It is the application of statistical procedures to analyze specific observed/assumed facts from a particular study.” The collected data will be interpreted by using graphs (linear graphs, bar graphs). At the end, conclusions will be drawn and suggestions will be made.


Bibliography:-

Ann Arbor 2003 Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities, University of Michigan Press.
Henrard Martinus 2000 Devising an Adequate System of Minority Protection, Nijhoff Publishers, Iraq.
Jackson Preece 2005 Minority Rights: Between Diversity and Community, Cambridge: Polity Press, Germany.
Kristin Henrard 2001 The Global Review of Ethno-Politics Vol. 1, University of Groningen, Netherlands.
Ms.Gay and J.McDougall 2005 Principles of Democracy, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Switzerland.
Pentassuglia 2002 Minorities in international law : An Introductory Study, Council of Europe Publications.
Principles of Democracy 2008 U.S. Department of State Publication, USA.
Research Consortium 2006 University of Colorado, USA.

Sociological Theories about Social Work

Sociological Theory and Social Work
by
M. Akram Mehar (MSc Sociology)
mehar_skp@yahoo.com

Sociological Theory: “It is an interrelated set of propositions from which empirical uniformities can be derived”. In sociological theory, the researcher has to develop a concrete statement consisting on two variables which show strong relationship which is hypothesis. In hypothesis, clear-cut relationship exists. In the post modern era, sociological theory converted into social theory.

Social Theory: “The theory in which principles and assumptions develop the hypothesis by induction and deduction method in order to solve problems”. In social theory, researcher use propositions and in propositions, the relationship exists between variables but not in clear-cut form. The assumptions/principles which is based on qualitative approach and promote the welfare liabilities encompass with economic development, is social theory. For example, higher income is essential for higher education, but higher education is not essential for higher income. (Social Theory)

In this way, sociological theory always encompasses the social work.

Social Theories of Different Theorists Regarding Social Work

Different theorists deliver their particular theories about social work. We will discuss here the theories of few of them.

(1)- Max Weber
Max Weber has presented a number of theories but we will discuss here some particular theories about social work.

(I)- Social Action Approach: This is one of the major approaches of Weber. He said that all the individuals’ actions are not for his/her personal matters, but he acts to meet the requirements of being the member of the society. His/her all types of actions are for the help of other needy persons rather directly/indirectly. Weber’s concept of social action is also used for the betterment of an individual which ultimately contributes in the betterment of the society, i.e. social work. We can say that the social action approach assist the needy persons to improve their life standard that is social work. In this way, Max Weber’s social action approach relates with social work.

(II)- Power and Authority: “It is to command the behaviors and actions of people according to the wish of elite/executive class”. As we know that authority is a command to control other’s will, it promotes consensus among the members of society and this authority maintains law and order in the society and provide economic and social security. Everybody feels himself/herself secure in the society and does work with concentration which increases production. In this way, power and authority contributes a lot to promote social work services in the society. For example; a police officer uses his authority to protect the basic rights of society members, i.e. social work.

(III)- Bureaucracy: “It is a hierarchical authority structure that operates under certain rules and procedures to control the behavior and to achieve certain ends” OR “It is the division of administrative labor among persons and offices”. In this, you keep your record in black and white form. There is organizational hierarchy in organizational structure. Max Weber describes the following rules/regulations of bureaucracy; (i)- There should be the employment of regular working individuals in offices, (ii)- There should be some principles in offices boundary, (iii)- The officers should know about those principles.
Bureaucracy has a number of merits and demerits. For example; it has the characteristics of division of labor, specialization of work, formal rules/regulation, prominent role, opportunity to progress, supervision of law, ending of monopoly, etc. It has also demerits as nothing is perfect in this material world. For example; unnecessary delay of work, misuse of power, wastage of resources, nepotism, corruption, etc.
In bureaucracy, there is the value of authority, not of a person. As bureaucracy is formal management system in which hierarchy is commanding all the issues, it promotes capitalism. Simply, Weber correlates it with capitalism and concluded that capitalism is only system which provides every necessity to mass. Because in capitalism, the capitalists invest their sources to create/distribute different services. Common people get employment. Production takes place for consumption. So, this is social work. For example, Bureaucrats manage the social work services properly in their offices.

(IV)- Religion: “Religion is the binding force which creates social solidarity and mental harmony among the members of the society”. It provides complete framework to its followers. Max Weber said that “religion is the binding force which creates integration among the mass”. Religious activities should be kept away from general business. He also stresses on the people to follow the religious values in order to establish the unity, i.e. social work. His main contribution/purpose is to run the capitalism and religious forces side by side. In this way, religion contributes a lot for social work because religion stresses upon its followers to assist the needy persons. For example, the zakat/charity system in Islam.

So in this way, we can correlate the Max Weber’s theories with social work in this form. In his book, Weber has tried to create relationship between bureaucracy and religion in order to create social integration.

(2)- Talcott Parsons

Talcott Parsons has introduced the AGIL Scheme which is his most important contribution regarding social work. His AGIL Scheme also promotes social work. He said that, on the basis of his AGIL Scheme, society provides basic facilities to its mass. The four functional imperatives of this scheme address social work in different ways. For example;

Adaptation discusses that people can’t remain at odds with its environment. It means that they have to depend upon others in some way. They have to work for each other to survive. People adopt cultural values on the basis of situation. For example, in villages, people didn’t prefer co-education. They do it to safe from criticism from their community. (This is mode of 20th century approach. This approach reflect that it encompass all the social development phenomena.) We can say that they act on the basis of give and take principle. This is social work.

With the objective of Goal Attainment people deliver their services more competently. They conduct different types of activities to attain the predetermined goal, i.e. social work. For example, NGO’s goal to educate the rural females.

Integration means the cooperation or integrity among the different aspects of the society. If there is integration among the different aspects or determinants, then the whole will be function properly. It also involves the management of the relationships among the other three functional imperatives (AGL), this is the form of social work.

Latency refers to the need for a system to furnish, maintain and renew the motivation of individuals. This is a type of social work.

(3)- Emile Durkheim

Emile Durkheim has much more contribution in sociology. He has introduced a number of social theories which has an influence on the social work practices rather directly or indirectly. Some of his major theories relating to social work have been discussed below;

(I)- Social Facts: Durkheim said that “sociology is that social science which studies the social facts and social institutions”. Social facts are concrete ideas about any concept. There are two types of social facts. i.e. material and non-material facts. People focus on non-material facts except suicide in social work practices.
Non-Material Facts: (i)- Morality, (ii)- Collective Conscience, (iii)- Division of Labor, (iv)- Social Solidarity, (v)- Collective Representation, (vi)- Social Currents.
Suicide also includes in non-material social facts but we include only those which are related to social work.
As an individual leads his life under the influence of social facts, he avoids violating them. In this way, he acts for the welfare of the society which ultimately contributes in the social work.

(II)- Social Solidarity: “It means social forces which are promoting mental harmonies and uniformities among the members of society”. As without society, it can’t be measured, he measured the social solidarity in two types of the society. (i)- Mechanical Society, (ii)- Organic Society. In the Mechanical Society, people are adhering to their long term social values. He observed that there is strong solidarity because people are attached with one another due to primary group which create strong association and this thing promotes solidarity in the society, i.e. social work. So, there is more and sincere basing social work practices in the mechanical society. Whereas in Organic Society, people co-operate one another on the basis of their interests. Solidarity exists but only for watching their own interests. There are no/less feelings to serve the humanity. So, we can differentiate both the mechanical and organic societies as under;
Mechanical Society; (a)- Almost same professions, e.g. agriculture, (b)- Cultural values have much more importance. e.g. females should live in the four walls of their homes, (c)- People ties with one another on the basis of blood relationships. e.g. Brotherism, (d)- Interaction is informal.
Organic Society; (a)- Division of labor is in full swings, e.g. Fields of specialization such as eye specialist, heart specialist, etc, (b)- Modern/social values are dominant, e.g. females have the legal liberty to do what they want, (c)- Relationships are based on abilities, e.g. with aristocrats, (d)- Interaction is formal.

We can say that the organic society teaches you that how you can stand on your footing. It creates self reliance among the members. It is threat for patriarchic system in the society. So, we can conclude that social solidarity not only creates mental harmony but also protects the cultural values and as well as creates inspiration among the members of society for economic and social development.

(III)- Collective Conscience: “The totality of beliefs and sentiments common to average citizens of the same society forms a determinate system which has its own life”. This is the approach of common people. It commonly exists in the rural areas and very strong in rural areas rather than the urban ones. Without it, social work services will be useless. To make it affective, social worker has to build collective conscience.

(4)- George Ritzer

George Ritzer has formulated post modern sociological theory which is converted into social theory. It not only focuses on specific approach but for the development of community. For example, how to improve; livelihood, maximum utilization, ego, leadership, etc

According to new approach, sociological theory/social theory focuses on all spheres of social life. In present era, social theory not only addresses specific issue but all the spheres of life. He has introduced three modern modes of utilization. He said that these modes of utilization not only promote development in the society, but also enhance the interaction among the members of the society.

Regarding Social Work, we can realize that his theory reflects the assistance and betterment of community and his sociological theory changes into social theory which focuses on social work practices.

His most important approach is that he has introduced three types of paradigms. “Paradigm encompasses two or more theories, as well as different images of the subject matter, methods, and examples”. For example, under the structural functional school of thought, there are the theories of Talcott Parsons (AGIL Scheme), Robert K. Merton (Mode of Individual Adaptation), Kingsley Davis (Behavior of Individuals, e.g. individual’s behavior changes regarding the situation), Emile Durkheim (Social Facts, Social Actions, logical actions) with their given subject matters.
So, he has formulated three types of paradigms.
(i)-Social Fact Paradigm, (ii)-Social Definition Paradigm, (iii)-Social Behavior Paradigm.
Here question arose that; why Ritzer has formulated these paradigms. Answer is that, he has considered that sociology is multiple paradigm science. On the basis of this, he has formulated new ideas towards more integrated sociological paradigms, i.e. macro and micro approaches.
(5)- Karl Marx

Regarding social work, Karl Marx has also a number of contributions. Some major contributions are discussed below.

(1)- The Dialect Materialism: The dialect means the art or practice of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments. It is the philosophy of Karl Marx. According to many followers of Karl Marx’s thinking, it is the philosophical basis of Marxism. He takes this approach from Hegal’s Dialectic Spiritualism (i.e. the religious forces satisfy the human beings). Dialectic materialism means that all social and political activities revolve around the economic activities. He said that the state and other concerned agencies resolve the economic problems of the members of the society. On the basis of this, he puts light on the social phenomena. He said that the members of the society adjust themselves in society according to rules and regulations. This is sociology. Therefore, he concluded that the dialectic materialism not only focus on the existence of social, economic and political values but also generate new economy. Marx said that the ruling class should focus on economic activities and fulfill the basic necessities of the mass. So, we can say that Marx through this approach has stressed the society members to involve in economic activities in order to fulfill their basic needs, i.e. which is social work.

(II)- Alienation Theory: “It is the breakdown of natural interconnection among people and what they produce”. In this, the people are alienated from what they produce. Bourgeoisie keep himself away from the proletariat. Marx said that people should not be separated from their services. The owners should give them those products at low costs, because they have more wages to buy them. In this way, this is a form of social work.

(III)- Class Conflict Theory/Class Struggle: In this, one class exploits the other. The owners do not give proper wages to the labor/workers. When this exploitation increases so much, then the oppressive class stand against the dominant class. In this way, revolution takes place. After revolution, there is class-less society. There is no rich, no poor, all are equal. In that society, the needy people are assisted in order to improve their livelihood. That’s why; this approach is related to social work.

(IV)- Capitalism to Communism: Capitalism only focuses on elite class and other is deprived from basic necessities. Capitalism is the system in which one class is repressed by the other dominant class. In this, the basic rights of laboring class are violated. As an opposition of capitalism, communism comes into existence. Communism offers equal social and economic opportunities to all the members of society. This not only focus on one class but work for the betterment of whole community, i.e. social work. Communism is the system in which all people have equal opportunities and is provided with basic services and needs. So, communism contributes a lot for social work.

(V)- Labor Class Value Theory: According to this theory, the skilled labor gets more money/earnings as compared to the others. There is greater demand of skilled labor because the skilled labor causes the greater production.
Now we can conclude that all these social approaches are directly/indirectly relate with social work because these focus on the betterment of the society.

Modern Social Work

Modern Social Work
by
M. Akram Mehar
MSc Sociology
mehar_skp@yahoo.com


Modern social work employs three methods of assistance; case work, group work, and community organization.

(1)- Case Work

It is the method by which individual persons and families are assisted. The person in need of case work may be physically, mentally, or socially handicapped. Among those regarded as socially handicapped are: the unemployed, the homeless, members of broken families, alcoholics, drug addicts, and neglected or problem children.

Mary Richmond said that; “social case work as the art of doing different things for and with different people by cooperating with them to achieve at one and the same time their own and their society’s betterment”. For example; to reduce/abolish adulteration from the society with the cooperation of different agencies (NGOs).

The assumptions of social case work are based on humanitarian philosophy which is; Cooperation (joint activities to pursue common goal), accommodation (peaceful adjustment between hostile and competitive groups), competition (The assumptions of social case work are based on humanitarian philosophy which is; Cooperation (joint activities to pursue common goal), accommodation (peaceful adjustment between hostile and competitive groups), competition (when different individuals struggle constructively to achieve some desired goal) and conflict (the state in which two/more individuals/groups do efforts to fail the objectives of one another). These terminologies are commonly used for humanitarian philosophy.

Casework is individualized, scientific and artistic. Interviewing is the major tool of casework. The examples of casework are the study of alcohol, drug addicts, anxiety, and inferiority complex. This approach usually involves a series of interviews, often weekly, for about an hour.


Principles of Social Work for Social Case Work

o Principle of Acceptance: This principle also based upon the principle of humanitarianism. For example; doctor accept the certain matters which the client tell about his disease. Common feelings/interests are the main factor of client and social worker (doctor) to develop the consensus.
o Principle of Communication: When social worker (doctor) and client meet each other, they interact with each other on the basis of participatory approach. During interaction, they communicate with each other. For example; the doctor tries his best to motivate the client with friendly manners. In this way, they communicate their ideas, e.g. conversation about disease. So, both share their ideas for mutual understanding.
o Principle of Individualization: It means that sometimes the client requires totally privacy for certain matters. For this, the social worker has to assure the client that he will not reveal his privacy. So, social worker has to develop trust feeling in client. There may be the example of “Probation Officer”.
o Principle of Participation: Without participation, social worker can’t conduct social work practices. As community development is a participatory process, social worker requires participation from indigenous people. Client should adjust according to the environment and the researcher should participate in the community and share the ideas of individuals. Simply, participation creates trust environment. Participation of local community makes it easy to achieve the objectives of social worker.
o Principle of Confidentiality: It is major principle. The social workers have to keep the client’s information as secret. For this purpose, they have to win the confidence of clients and to build confidence, he has to act rationally. So that client can give him healthy information.
o Principle of Awareness: The social worker and client is the product of existence environment. Both have their own faith, belief, attitudes and emotions. For example; the social worker should not guide or impose his own ideas upon the client. He should be aware about the client’s belief. This principle of self awareness provides practical guidance to the social case worker.

Now we can conclude that;
These principles are followed by social worker in case study and enable to get the ground realities which may help to solve the problems of society.

Methods/Models of Social Case-Work

There are the following methods/models of social casework. (1)- Psychological Model, (2)- Functional Model, (3)- Problem Solving Method, (4)- Behavior Modification Model, (5)- Task Centered Casework Model.

(2)- Group Work

As we know that the collective forces always become useful if you put it on positive direction. This is main advantage of group work. In this, people assist each other. All these qualities create awareness and ego among the poor people. So, Group work is that method of social work by which the social worker provides help to different groups, and tries to create compatibility and harmony in their resources and problems in order to fulfill their needs.

William Farley said that; “Group work is a method of working with people in groups, for the enhancement of social functioning and for the achievement of socially desirable goals”.

According to Coyle; “Group work is also considered as the basic part of social work practices like community organization, administration and research. More its main characteristic is that in group work, social relationships are flourished by using group experience. So, it is the duty of a group worker to promote social relationship and democratic society”. For example; APWA (All Pakistan Women Association), professors’ association, CBO (Community Based Organization), all these are groups and their main interest is to serve the community on the basis of common expectations/goals.


People need association with other human beings to be nurtured, loved, wanted, and understood. Group work is based on the assumption that individuals have a need for each other. Almost all social service agencies use group work method of social work.


Formation of Groups

Formation of groups takes place in a variety of ways. For example; the existence of social problems in a society/community will create the need of it to solve the problems.

Group Goals
Groups are not come into existence without any goal/objective/mission/target. They have certain predefined goals which they are targeted to achieve. Such as;
(1)- To improve self image, (2)- Expand self awareness and understanding, (3)- Achieve a group status, (4)- Improve peer relationships, (5)- Develop friendship building skills, (6)- Accept peers as individuals.

Principles of Group Work

o Principle of Group Formation: social worker should aware about group formation techniques. As we know that; needs and expectations of people are basic thins to form group, social worker motivate the people to make groups because he tell them that by making a group, they can fulfill their needs more easily. Without group’s assistance, an individual can’t be survived.
o Principle of Specific Purpose: Specific purpose is very important to convince the people to make a group. The people, who share same purpose/objective, make a group in order to achieve that purpose. For example; farmer’s organization.
o Principle of Relationship: It means the relationships between members of group, e.g. between general secretary and president, manager and peon, etc. Positive relations among them have too much importance to meet group objectives. If there is conflict among them, there will be a threat to its existence.
o Principle of Individualization: This is a matter of great concern. Group members should not deal each other’s privacy non-seriously. They should not share the group’s personal and risky matters with the members of other groups. Simply, they should not discuss the weak points of their group with other groups because this thing will open the ways for other groups to interfere in the group’s personal matters. e.g. The executive director or the general secretary should be responsible to hand over all the weak points and privacy of the group/organization.
o Principle of Flexibility: There should be some flexibility with the group, e.g. in the rules and regulations of the group. Because, without the flexibility, no objective can be achieved by any group/organization. So, it is the primary task of the social worker to promote the flexibility within the group/organization.
o Principle of Utilization of Resources: It is very necessary for the long time existence/survival of the group/organization. For example; there may be membership funds. The group tries its best to make its own assets and then later on run the different projects through these pre-structured assets. Such as, the group can establish a school and then can earn regular income from that school to look after its other projects.
o Principle of Self-Reliance: It is the main objective of NGOs and other groups to create self-reliance among the community. It is the first priority of every group because the dependent groups remain always at risks.

Group Work Models
Group goals and objectives will determine the group work model employed. Papell and Rothman pioneer three such models. (1)- Social Goals Model, (2)- The Remedial Goals Model, (3)- The Reciprocal Goals Model.

(3)- Community Organization

Community: means a group of particular individuals who live/reside in a particular area and they have common goals and have similar culture and also mutual relationships. For example; Christian community, farming community, student community, etc
Community Organization: is the 3rd basic method of social work practices. Social worker who uses this method is ‘community worker’. According to National Conference of Social Work, “Community Organization is a branch of social work that fulfills the specific or all the needs of a community”.

Arther Denhem said that; “Community Organization is a method that creates compatibility among the resources and needs of a specific area”.

William Farley said that; “Community organization is a process which taps and ties together community resources”.

Community social work is one of the main approaches in social work. It is one of the newer thrusts in social work and one that has great potential for preventing and solving social problems. Many of the principles basic to the community organization are shared with case work and group work, but there are several that are unique. The four main role of community organizer are; Teacher, Catalyst, Facilitator and a Person who Creates Linkages between organizations and communities. These roles must be carried out with skill and an understanding of the importance of human relationships.

Through community organization, the welfare work of single agencies as well as of whole communities is directed, cooperation between public and private agencies is secured, and funds are raised and administered. The community may be called upon to provide the buildings and grounds for such activities.

Methods of Community Organization

There are the following three commonly prevailing methods of community organization;
o Centered/Focus on the Objectives: This is the major method of community organization having vital importance. On the basis of this, community organization’s all activities revolve around the pre-described or pre-targeted objectives. The organizations plan/formulate their policies/agendas in the light of its objectives. So, we can say that the objective lies at the heart of the organization under this method.
o Need for More Resources: As we know that to remain motive, the need of resources can’t be denied. Organizations remain in search of more resources to fulfill their project needs and requirements. Sometimes, the organization can’t fulfill its expenditures by using the existing resources. So, for this purpose, the organization feels the need for more resources to maintain its consistency.
o Combination of Many Resources: Sometimes, the community organization can’t fulfill its expenditures by one existing resource. For this, the organization has to combine many resources. For example, the organization has to depend upon multiple donors or means of funding. It may run a training center and side by side may also gain funds from governmental or other private donors.

Objectives of Community Organization

Community organization is based on certain objectives which are given below;
o To fulfill the basic needs and necessities of the community. Because without this, the organization can’t uplift/promote the community. So, the fulfillment of basic needs is the basic requirement for the smooth sailing of the community life.
o Maximum Utilization of the Resources of the Community: It is the basic/major objective of the community organization to well utilize the existing resources of the community as much as possible in order to enhance them. For example; there may be human resources, financial resources, etc.
o Creation of Co-operation and Unity among the Community Members: Because these two things are the basic conditions for the genuine development in the community.
o Provision of Democratic Environment for the Community: One of the objectives of Community organization is to provide equal opportunities to all the members of the community. Simply, to voice the opinions and suggestions of all the community members.
o Introduction of Welfare Programs in the Community: It is the major objective of the community organization. To meet this objective is the important purpose of community organization.
o To Ensure the Participation of Individuals: This is primary objective because without the participation of the individuals, the organization can’t fulfill/meet its remaining objectives. So, it is of vital importance.

Principles of Community Organization

o Principle of Respect and Honor: There should be the protection/security of self respect within the organization. Community organization members should deal with one another with respect and don’t point out or criticize anyone’s honor. Because this thing creates the sense of dignity among the members of the organization which contributes in their better performance for the achievement of the organization’s objectives.
o Principle of Self Decision Making: The organization should have its own decision making power. The community organization should have at least so much expertise that it can take it necessary decisions by itself.
o Principle of Participation: Community should be participatory having participation without any personal motive. We can say that no community can develop/prosperous without participation process.
o Principle of Self Help: This principle is of vital importance particularly in third world countries like Pakistan. On the basis of self help, the community can develop with more structurally and properly. For example; our government has launched different types of projects with the collaboration of CBOs on the basis of self help.
o Principle of Utilization of Resource: The affective utilization of resources of the community is the primary task of any community organization. This leads to the plus development in the community.

There are many other principles of community organization such as;
Principle of Equality, Principle of Formation of Programs, Principle of Flexibility, Principle of Guideline, etc but the above mentioned were most important.

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