Introduction
The area of advocacy I am most interested in is religious freedom as I consider faith an important part of my life. Thus, I am empathetic toward people who face challenges in practicing their faith freely. According to Jansson (2018), social workers are tasked with getting involved in either political or social action to provide everyone with equal opportunities to access various resources, housing, employment, and healthcare. With the growing number of migrants coming to the United States and ethnic diversity becoming such a pressing issue, religious freedom is an area of advocacy, which is only going to grow in scope and scale.
Religious Discrimination and Related Policies
The social problem, which is the primary concern in the area of religious freedom, is religious discrimination. It implies the denial of employment, education, self-expression, and other opportunities to people based on their faith or its lack thereof. Therefore, it is an act of unfavorable treatment targeted at someone because of their religious beliefs. In addition, a person might be discriminated against because they are simply associated with another religion through relatives, life partners, and so on. Studies demonstrate that Muslims are more likely to become victims of institutionalized discrimination, which puts them at a disadvantage when looking for a job or attending college (Warsi, 2020). Laws that directly affect the issue of religious discrimination are the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), Regulations: 29 C.F.R. Part 1605, as well as numerous state legislative acts (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2021). Other policies include garb and grooming regulations and internal codes of companies or educational institutions. It is important to note that immigration policies also factor in the issue of religious discrimination due to the growing number of Muslims seeking asylum in the United States.
Ideas for a Social Change Project
As for the ideas for a social project, I have two in mind, one of which is local, while the other is on the national level. The first idea is to create a religious freedom club at my school. Students need to have an opportunity to discuss religion and the common challenges they face. As a result, members of the club can become representatives of their classmates with the same issues and advocate for the appropriate policies to be considered by the school board. Even though the project is minuscule in comparison to nationwide or international policies, I truly believe that change starts in small communities and then grows to become something more. Another idea I have is for companies to provide annual reports on their actions to actively battle religious discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Such a project ensures that corporations are held accountable for their inaction as it relates to religious diversity.
The Impact of the Project on Clients in a Clinical Social Work Setting
When it comes to the nationwide project idea of annual reports, there are several benefits it could generate. Firstly, as companies reflect on past actions, they will be more likely to initiate policies that protect the rights of religious minorities. As a result, people of faith will feel more secure at their job, which will, in turn, affect their decision to leave a certain company. Therefore, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and other populations primarily facing religious discrimination in the workplace will have an opportunity for economic security. This will make social services more accessible to them, to begin with.
References
Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2021). Religious discrimination. EEOC. Web.
Warsi, S. (2020). Why Muslims experience more discrimination than other faith groups in America.Desert News. Web.