Concept of International Social Work | Article

Running head: INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL WORK
INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL WORK
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Author’s Note:

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As stated by Midgley (2016), the concept of international social work had gained a
substantial amount of prominence in the present times because of the ever-increasing number of
disease outbreaks, natural disasters, political turmoil and others that the different nations of the
world are facing. Adams, Dominelli and Payne (2017) are of the viewpoint that the framework of
international social work is the process or the approach which is being followed by the nations,
particularly the first world nations, for offering the required humanitarian or for that matter the
social services to the people of the nations which had been hit by natural disasters, outbreak of
diseases, political turmoil and others. More importantly, this often requires the social service
providers to work across borders with the individuals or the communities which had been
adversely hit by the different calamities (Nadan, 2017).
In addition to these, it is seen that the different nations are required to offer adequate
humanitarian assistance to their neighboring nations and others which had been hit by different
calamities so as to help the people and also the nations to get back to normality. This is also
being done by the nations or the social service providers to mitigate the damage or for that matter
the adverse effects of the different calamities faced by the different nations of the world (Pockett
& Beddoe, 2017). In this relation, it needs to be said that presently an important issue that the
nation of China is facing is the epidemic of coronavirus which is presenting health issues to the
people of the concerned nation and also the nations surrounding China as well. The purpose of
this paper is to undertake an analysis of the impact of coronavirus on humanity through the usage
of three recent media articles related to the concerned subject.
Mckeever, A. (2020). Here’s what coronavirus does to the body. [online]
Nationalgeographic.com. Available at:

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https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/02/here-is-what-coronavirus-
does-to-the-body/
The article “Here’s what coronavirus does to the body” written by Amy Mckeever and
published by the National Geographic Magazine offers an insight into the damages or for that
matter the dangers which coronavirus presents to the body of the individuals affected by the
concerned virus. The article was first published by the National Geographic Magazine on 18th
February, 2020 when the initial signs of the outbreak of the coronavirus were detected in the
nation of China. In this regard, it needs to be said that this was not only one of the first well-
researched and full-fledged articles to be written on the dangers or for that matter the threats that
the coronavirus presents to the different individuals but also had been the most widely read one
because of the credibility of the same. Thus, it is obvious that it is not very difficult to locate this
particular article related to the negative connotations of the coronavirus over the online media.
Furthermore, the author of this particular article, Amy Mckeever is a highly qualified world
renowned author who had been associated with National Geographic Magazine for a very long
time.
Phan et al. (2020) are of the viewpoint that although the majority of the cases related to
coronavirus had been detected within the nation of China yet at the same time it needs to be said
that since the virus is an easily transferable one thus there is a high chance that the people from
the other nations of the world can also contract the same if adequate measures are not being
undertaken. Adding to this, Yang (2020) has noted that this in turn is the most important reason
why the majority of the nations of the world like India, USA, UK, Australia and others have
presently barred the entry of Chinese people within their nation. Thus, it can be said that rather
than the Chinese people merely being the target audience of this article, the people from all over

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the world are its target audience. The aim of the author Mckeever (2020) in this particular article
is to make the readers aware of the negative health connotations of coronavirus or the likely
damages that it might cause to the health of the individuals who have contracted the same. Thus,
the author by presenting the gruesome picture of the damages that the virus would cause to the
health of the individuals, the author indirectly urges them to take the required precautionary
measures so as to help them to avoid contracting the concerned virus. The presumed relationship
between the subject, the author and the readers of the article is that the author through the usage
of the authority which she holds in the international arena is urging the different social services
and also the nations to extent their humanitarian support to China so as to help the people of the
concerned nation to overcome the threat presented by this virus. In this connection, it needs to be
said that the author on the score of her association with the National Geographic Magazine
certainly holds the required amount of power to influence the different first world nations like
USA, UK, Australia, Canada and others which are presently merely gazing at the concerned
issue to extent their support for the resolution of the same.
The most important missing piece of information in this article is the author merely
discusses the damages which are being caused by the virus to the health of the individuals rather
than focusing on the implications of the same on the wider humanity and also the issues that the
Chinese government is presently facing for the control of this particular virus. More importantly,
the focus of the author is solely on the impact of coronavirus on China and thereby she does not
explains the manner in which it had become a global health issue since the majority of the
nations of the world like Italy, USA, Canada and others are also suffering from the same. In
addition to this, the author had also failed to highlight the manner in which it can enhance the
racism in the world. For instance, already it is seen that the people from the nations which had

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been affected by coronavirus are not being allowed to entry the other nations of the world and if
this trend continues then it is likely that the racism which the individuals have to face would
intensify (Yang, 2020). The National Geographic Magazine is presently being owned by the
corporation 21st Century Fox. In this regard, it needs to be said that social work can contribute in
an effective manner towards the resolution of the health epidemic that the nation of China is
presently facing.
Munster, Koopmans, van Doremalen, van Riel and de Wit (2020) are of the viewpoint
that the different nations of the world rather than extending a helping to the nation of China for
fighting against this particular virus had temporarily terminated all ties with the concerned
nation. However, this should not be case since in this troubled time, the concerned nation needs
as many social workers as well as healthcare professionals as possible for offering the required
help to the individuals who had been infected with the virus under discussion here (Yang, 2020).
This will help in not only effectively controlling the threat presented by the concerned virus but
would at the same time ensure the fact that adequate healthcare treatment facilities are available
to the individuals who had already been infected with the virus. For instance, Mckeever (2020)
in the article under discussion here mentions that out of the 60,000 individuals who had been
infected with the virus more than 2.3% of the patients had died. Thus, the framework of social
work becomes especially important in this case since it will help China to effectively fight
against coronavirus and also to ward off the threats presented by the same. Moreover, the social
workers also need to make the individuals understand that this is just a pandemic event that the
world is presently facing and thus they should not indulge in discriminating the individuals or the
nations which had been affected by the same.

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Walker, A. (2020). What's the coronavirus costing China?. Retrieved 5 March 2020, from
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51386575
In the article “What's the coronavirus costing China?”, published in BBC, the author
Walker focuses on the economic as well as the social implications of coronavirus to the nation of
China. More importantly, rather than merely confining the analysis of the implications of the
coronavirus on the economic as well as the social framework of the nation of China, Walker had
also tried to analyze the impact of the same on the other nations of the world as well. In this
relation, it needs to be said that BBC is presently one of the most important media outlets of the
world and the issue of coronavirus is the fulcrum point of discussion in the different nations of
the world. Thus, it was not very difficult to locate this particular article and it is likely that the
majority of the individuals who have a curiosity towards the issue under discussion here have by
this time already read this article. Andrew Walker, the author of this article, is the author of the
famous book “Eat the Heart of the Infidel” and had worked as a reporter for the BBC in the past.
The target audience of the article under discussion here are not only the individuals who
have already been infected by coronavirus but also the other people of the world who might get
affected by the same. More importantly, the author by focusing on the social as well as the
economic implications of coronavirus for the nation of China also urges the other nations of the
world to offer the required assistance to China. The aim of Walker (2020) behind presenting this
article was to create the required awareness among the different nations of the world regarding
the threat of coronavirus and thereby to gather support for the people of China who are suffering
from the virus presently. The author of the article is in a position of power which is using to
gather the required amount of support from the first world nations who are presently merely
gazing at the concerned issue. This in turn had given rise to the power issue wherein it is seen

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that China is fighting alone with coronavirus and it is becoming too much for the concerned
nation to handle it effectively. In this relation, it needs to be said that the important information
which the author had not mentioned in the article is the shortage of resources which the nation of
China has for fighting against the threat of coronavirus. For instance, the author had adequately
summed up the economic and the social implications of coronavirus for China yet not
highlighted this important issue. More importantly, the sole focus of the author on the nation of
China had substantially narrowed down the scope of the article since the articles completely
disregards the fact that Italy had also been equally affected and the other nations like USA,
Canada and others are also facing the negative connotations of the same. Furthermore, the article
also fails to highlight the fact that this had significantly enhanced international racism in the
world since already it is seen that the people from China, Italy and the other nations affected by
coronavirus are not being given entry into USA, India and others for medical reasons and others.
Moreover, even the individuals who are there in these nations have to face racism and are being
ostracized because of their nationality.
The media platform in which the article under discussion here was published is BBC or
more precisely British Broadcasting Corporation. The issues which had been highlighted by the
author in the article have important implications for the social workers. In this relation, it needs
to be said that because of the gravity of the threat presented by coronavirus, China is presently
struggling to offer the required healthcare as well as the social care services to the people who
have been infected with the same (Yang, 2020). More importantly, it is true that the economic
framework of the nation under discussion here is a very stable one and it also boasts of a highly
developed healthcare as well as social care system (Phan et al., 2020). However, at the same time
it is seen that because of the magnitude of the issue the nation is not being to offer the required

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healthcare and social care support to the people who are suffering from the virus under
discussion here. It is precisely here that the construct of social work or humanitarian service
becomes important since the other nations of the world have the opportunity to offer the required
healthcare as well as social services to the people of China so as to help them to overcome this
particular epidemic. This in turn would facilitate a speedy recovery of the individuals who have
been infected with coronavirus and would also help China to fight effectively against the
concerned virus as well. More importantly, the social workers also need to work for reducing the
racism or for that matter the discrimination that the individuals suffering from coronavirus had to
face by making the nations and also the individuals understand the fact that coronavirus is just a
virus and it does not affect the individuals by taking into account their nationality or the race to
which they belong.
Berkeley, L. Jr., & Feuer, W. (2020). Coronavirus outbreak declared global health
emergency, US confirms first human transmission. Retrieved 5 March 2020, from
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/30/coronavirus-latest-updates.html
In the article “Coronavirus outbreak declared global health emergency, US confirms
first human transmission”, the authors Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and William Feuer discuss the
impact of coronavirus on the health of the individuals while highlighting the fact that it is no
longer an epidemic that the nation of China is facing but the different nations of the world are
also reeling from the same. The specific issue on which the authors focus is one the first case of
coronavirus in the nation of USA and its implications from the perspective of global health and
also the wellbeing of the individuals. Berkeley Lovelace Jr. is a healthcare reporter associated
with CNBC for the past seven years and William Feuer is a Professor at the University of
Southern California who frequently writes articles on important issues for the CNBC and the

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other leading media platforms of the world. In this relation, it needs to be said that over the past
few weeks, the different nations of the world after the first reporting of coronavirus in China
have cut off all ties with it thinking that this would stop the virus from causing a global health
epidemic however the recent cases related to the same in various nations prove otherwise
(Berkeley & Feuer, 2020). Thus, it can be said that the target audience of the article under
discussion are all the nations of the world which are presently facing the threat of coronavirus.
The aim of Berkeley and Feuer (2020) behind writing this particular article is to make all
the nations of the world aware of the fact that by merely cutting off ties with the nation of China
wherein the maximum number of cases related to coronavirus have been reported, they would
not be able to escape it since if adequate measures are being undertaken then it can soon become
a global health epidemic. Both of the authors who have written the article have not only been
writing articles related to the healthcare for a very long time now but also frequently highlight
the different issues that the world faces. More importantly, the association which they share with
CNBC (which is presently being owned by NBCUniversal Media LLC) offers them the required
power to influence the different nations of the world which are presently merely gazing at the
situation of China which is reeling from the effects of coronavirus. The article had been written
completely from the perspective of the nation of USA and how the first case related to
coronavirus which had been brought to light is going to affect the concerned nation while
completely disregarding the damage that it is presently causing to the nation of China and its
people. Moreover, the authors in the article under discussion here also disregard the manner in
which the concerned issue had become a global issue which can adversely affect the entire world
if adequate measures are not being undertaken for the resolution of this particular issue.
Furthermore, it is seen that the majority of the nations of the world are barring the entry of the

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people within their own nation from the nations of the world which had been affected by
coronavirus which in turn had enhanced international racism. However, the different nations of
the world need to understand the fact that this is not going to resolve the issue under discussion
here and for the resolution of this particular issue adequate medical, humanitarian and social
work support needs to be offered to the nations which had been affected by coronavirus. This as
a matter of fact has important implications for social work since the different nations of the
world and also the social workers can effectively resolve the present situation in China by
offering the required social care, community care, healthcare services and others to the people
who have been infected with coronavirus. This in turn would not only facilitate the recovery of
the individuals inflected with coronavirus but would prevent it from becoming a global health
epidemic as well. More importantly, the social workers also need to ensure the fact that the
people from the nations which had been affected by coronavirus do not have to face any form of
racism in the other nations of the world or for that matter within their own nation from the people
who have not contracted the same.
To conclude, coronavirus is presently adversely affecting the health and wellbeing of not
only the people of China but also of the other nations of the world. More importantly, it is seen
that a significant number of people have already lost their lives and the health as well as the
wellbeing of others have been adversely affected because of the same. Thus, it becomes for the
different nations of the world to offer the required humanitarian aid as well as social care
services to the nation of China and the people who had been infected with coronavirus. This will
facilitate the recovery of the individuals infected with coronavirus while helping the nation of
China as well to effectively deal with the concerned issue as well. In addition to these, it will also
help the different nations of the world and the social care providers to prevent coronavirus from

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becoming a global health epidemic as well. These aspects of coronavirus and the social care
services or the humanitarian aid which is required for dealing with the same become apparent
from the above analysis of the same.

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References
Adams, R., Dominelli, L., & Payne, M. (Eds.). (2017). Social work: Themes, issues and critical
debates. PalgraveMacmillan. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.in/books?
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%20social%20work&f=false
Berkeley Lovelace Jr., & Feuer, W. (2020). Coronavirus outbreak declared global health
emergency, US confirms first human transmission. Retrieved 5 March 2020, from
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/30/coronavirus-latest-updates.html
Mckeever, A. (2020). Here’s what coronavirus does to the body. [online]
Nationalgeographic.com. Available at:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/02/here-is-what-coronavirus-does-to-
the-body/
Midgley, J. (2016). Promoting reciprocal international social work exchanges: Professional
imperialism revisited. In Indigenous Social Work around the World (pp. 59-74).
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0-10
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coronavirus emerging in China—key questions for impact assessment. New England

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Walker, A. (2020). What's the coronavirus costing China?. Retrieved 5 March 2020, from
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51386575
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Commentaries, 014-20. Retrieved from https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/handle/10356/136819