Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

This article emphasizes education with a gender perspective, within qualitative research on the rights and dignity of girls, carried out with boys / girls from elementary school, promoting dialogue with the participants, and collectively identifying knowledge about this topic. The information gathered was performed in three phases, using language and pedagogical strategies according to their age: 1) workshop using play; 2) artistic session to elaborate drawings on the investigated topic; 3) focus groups to deepen on gender and equity. Discourses and practices based on prejudices and learned beliefs were evidenced, as part of the male / female binary system that attributes superiority to men, and that affect their self-concept and interactions. At the same time, the creative capacity they display to withdraw and question such limiting visions, and freely express their being / thinking / acting, was highlighted. Among the aspects shared by the participants, it stands out their claim to be promoters of solidarity and respect for the rights and dignity of all on equal terms; the recognition of difference as human beings and their unbreakable intrinsic value; the participation of children in contributing to all the socialization scenarios in which they engage in home, community, school. This evidence sets a precedent in the matter of educational exercises, which contributes to promoting an alternative value system towards the eradication of violence and good coexistence practices.

Social research needs to understand social reality in its complexity in order to outline strategies to attain its transformation. In the central region of Puerto Rico, the impact of coffee production is vital to achieve economic and social development of their communities. The most recent statistics report low economic growth and high unemployment in coffee municipalities. In order to analyze, from the intervention of Social Work, the economic and social policies that have been formulated to overcome the problem of the shortage of agricultural workers in the central zone, a mixed method investigation was conducted. First a quantitative phase followed by a qualitative phase. The article presents a contextual analysis of the narratives of agricultural workers, farmers, and public policy experts. The findings reveal the implications of poverty, inequalities and stigmatization for the quality of life of the participants. It is also stated that the public policy formulated does not harmonize with the realities of wages, farm conditions and government services in the area. Finally, it is proposed to equate the agricultural minimum wage to that of other labor sectors, the deconstruction of stereotypes that legitimize discrimination, oppression and marginalization; and the family farming as an articulating element of generational change, community spaces and the creation of employments and income.

The illustrated author David Harvey explains in his book “Seventeen contradictions and the end of capitalism”, arguments evidenced as problems of capitalism during economic and social crises. The fundamental thesis that this great work reveals is the crisis of capitalism as a social system through time and the analysis of its economic engine, the capital. He exposes the concept of contradiction dialectically to refer to the capital, defining it as two opposing forces present at the same time in a given event. In this article, we reflect on the ideas of the Marxist geographer and social theorist, applied to the social context of Puerto Rico. We will point out some discussions around health, considering the state of colonial political situation with the United States. Some final thoughts will be shared with the idea to building a revolutionary humanism that places hope in social movements for the rescue of human rights, such as health, and develops actions aimed to transform the current human predation.

The socio-economic and political context that currently pervades our Puerto Rican society impacts the lives of all of us as citizens and human beings. An economic crisis that seems to have no resolution, precarious living conditions, human rights violations, among other realities that unfortunately characterize the reality we live in. All this has, as a backdrop, a neoliberal context that has been increasingly exacerbating the reality of people’s lives. As a profession and collective, social work has a commitment to the defense of fundamental rights and the denunciation of everything that implies their violation. However, both the profession and the collective are not exempt from being impacted by this neoliberal reality that threatens us. This reality, sometimes disguised, presents challenges to our professional work and to the achievement of the ethical-political project that we are trying to build in Puerto Rico. Inevitably, as a chain effect, the social work education and training processes are also crossed by that context. Recognizing this picture, the following article aims to encourage reflection on educational and professional training in social work. Subsequently, set out some of the challenges that the current context represents for higher education and professional formation. Finally, in the face of the discussion and analysis of these challenges, propose actions or alternatives that make it possible to sustain a professional formation that transcends the challenges we face in different areas of social work.

This paper aims to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of colombian Social Work in the formulation and implementation of public policies for peacebuilcing from an interdisciplinary perespective. In the first instance, a brief conceptualization is made on the armed conflicto in Colombia, the peace agreement with FARC and the scope of the larrer. Subsequently, a brief conceptualization on interdiscplinarity, social policy and peace building is carried out. Finally, an analysis of the constributions from social Social Work and local participation to the implementation of the peace agreement is made.

The article discusses the phenomenon of school exclusion from the conceptual perspective of coloniality. It analyzes the historical background of western education from its origins in Athens to the period in which both, the Spanish colonial regime and the United States government imposes their educational systems in Puerto Rico. Also, it critically analyzes the conceptual contrasts between school dropout and educational exclusion. Finally, it reflects on the contribution of decolonial perspective to social work.

Sexual education in schools will be addressed as part of the proposal set forth in Law 85 of 2018: Puerto Rico Education Reform Law through this article. A reflective analysis will be presented from a philosophical point of view through the classical educational exponents. Sex education will be triangulated, with educational policy and social policy to visualize it through the framework in childhood. This will be reflected in a cultural context and will be addressed around the history of public policy on sexual education, sexuality, and sexual abuse in Puerto Rico. Sexual education is being viewed as an inherent part of the children’s rights. All of the above will be analyzed from a critical perspective with a transforming proposal as a conclusion.