Investigating the role of social workers in Zimbabwe in promoting criminal justice through human rights activism and advocacy

Zimbabwe has been characterized by high levels of human rights abuses associated with criminal injustices mainly affecting vulnerable individuals. The social, economic, and political environment is characterized by a range of serious violations of human rights through the punishing of alleged offenders in a skewed approach between the elite and the poor. Human rights violations and social injustice related to the political discourse, labor issues, and physical and sexual abuse are increasingly becoming a norm despite the existence of various legal frameworks that inform human rights issues. Given the crucial role that social workers can play in addressing social injustices and protecting vulnerable individuals from various violations, social workers’ voices in Zimbabwe are missing as compared to the role played by human rights lawyers. Social work professional bodies are even silent in cases where individuals are experiencing inhuman treatment whether in political, labor, and social facets. Rogowski states that social workers in line with their values can tackle social injustice and can be actively involved in promoting criminal and social justice as well as advocating for equality. Therefore, the major objectives of the study are to investigate the ways in which social workers in Zimbabwe promote criminal justice through human rights activism and advocacy. Second, to assess the challenges encountered by social workers in promoting criminal justice through advocacy and human rights criticism. Third, to determine the interventions that can maximize social workers’ involvement in ensuring criminal justice in Zimbabwe. This study was purely qualitative, and it focused on survivors of human rights violations, political activists, social change agents, and advocates. The population of the study involved survivors of political persecution and other violations, stakeholders dealing with human rights issues and criminal justice (social workers), vulnerable groups that have been abused (women and children), and individuals who have been subjected to injustices in labor issues in Harare province and Mashonaland Central province. A multiple case study was employed to select the sample of 24 participants. The participants were selected using purposive sampling for the stakeholders and snowballing for the survivors of human rights violations. Interviews and document review were used to generate data for the study. The findings were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The study found out that promoting the availability of research grants specifically focused on social work practice and its impact on criminal justice can help address this gap and empower social workers to contribute to the evidence-based development of policies and interventions. The majority of the participants highlighted the challenges faced in promoting criminal justice to be limited resources, political environment, stigma and discrimination, and threats to personal safety. Most participants suggested the following interventions that can enhance the capacity, effectiveness, and influence of social workers in promoting a fair and just criminal justice system. The study recommended that policymakers, government agencies, and criminal justice organizations should work to address the key challenges highlighted by social workers, including limited resources, political obstacles, stigma and discrimination, and threats to personal safety.