Suchergebnisse

Purpose: With increasing incidents of injustices in Nigeria, concerns for social justice have been topical. Social workers are expected to be at the fore of campaigns and implementation of social justice, hence, the question of their preparedness to match these expectations. This article sets out to ascertain whether the content of the curriculum of the Department of Social Work, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, meets these expectations. Method: Focus group discussion and in-depth interviews were used to collect data from purposively selected 20 undergraduates and four postgraduates. Results: Findings show that the students believe that the curriculum has enough social justice content though there is a need for review and change in delivery methods. Discussion: The incorporation of social justice into the curriculum encourages its application by practitioners. It is important to introduce more courses on social justice to impact more on the students and train teachers on better delivery methods.

Traditionally, the Nigeria system provides different reasons why children move from their biological parents to homes of non-biological parent, older relatives, and other social networks. While it is true that any form of under-aged labour mete on a child is illegal, certain cultural and social patterns are the reasons for the promotion of this phenomenon. Common among these reasons is the lack of resources to provide care and cater for the child (ren), death of the biological parents, and/or the parent wishing the child grows under tough conditions that supposedly makes the child a responsible adult. Notwithstanding these reasons, there are concerns that have been raised pertaining to the welfare of under-aged children in this setting, as it is reported that a considerable number of under-aged children suffer abuse, humiliation and other hazards. While this practice of raising children has grown to be popular and approved by communities in Nigeria, little is said about the abusive concerns that have been fastened to the practice. This study underscores the reasons for the persistence of these abusive concerns, despite the presence of the 2003 Child Rights Act. It advocates for a revamping of Nigeria's social protection space, signposting the relevance of social workers to such cause. Data was sourced through in-depth interview organized for 10 respondents (five parents and five house helpers). Analysis was done thematically. Themes derived from the study showed that safety concerns as regards under-aged helpers are non-existent and this increases the severity of mental, emotional and physical damages faced by the under-aged children. It is clear that there is a dire need for Nigerian government to set up and implement well-coordinated social protection measures and programmes for vulnerable children and their households. These well-coordinated social protection measures will help to keep these vulnerable children within the safety net of their family.

Abstract
Developing countries grapple with poor maternal health outcomes, and the Niger Delta is no exception. Discourses in the Niger Delta have been dominated by oil resource, with suboptimal attention paid to health outcomes in the region. This study investigated barriers to utilization of maternal health care services in the Okrika local government area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Data were sourced through focus group discussions organized for 21 health care professionals and 24 mothers residing in the area. Analysis was done thematically, relying on relevant qualitative analytical tools. Poor income, ignorance, absence of social support, religion and culture, and health care system inefficiencies were the barriers associated with utilization of maternal health care services. It was clear that maternal health outcomes and the state of health care generally in the Niger Delta do not reflect the enormous resources generated from oil that is plentiful in the region. Results point to an evident need for social work expertise to mitigate these barriers in view of improving health outcomes in the region.

Low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, are often associated with poor health outcomes, such as the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is a dominant driver of HIV/AIDS in these countries, necessitating the need to prevent such mode of transmission. With the availability of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMCTC) services in Anambra State, Nigeria, it becomes important to investigate the utilization of these services. This is needful given the relatively high percentage of vertical transmission in the state. To conduct this study, data were sourced using six focus group discussions involving 15 health workers and 24 HIV-positive mothers selected from three health facilities that dispense PMCTC services. Findings revealed that PMTCT services in the study area had setbacks owing to facility-based inefficiencies, low-level awareness and-coverage of the services at the grass-roots level, weak social support and cultural/religious beliefs, among others. To contain these setbacks, social workers as welfare/human rights professionals were recommended to be engaged.