Giustizia sociale e diritti umani. Rilettura e integrazione di due principi fondamentali

The article comments Richard Hugman's reflection about social justice and human rights as essential principles of Social Work (Human Rights and Social Justice, in The Sage Handbook of Social Work). Firstly, it indicates a distinction between social justice and human rights, which social workers tend to consider synonymous. The article offers a definition and a historical analysis of the two concepts, on the basis of diverse contemporary theories and approaches. Then, it considers the challenges within these concepts - actual dilemmas about social justice like as cultural dimension of human rights - and reflects on their integration. A way to realize it can be the ethics of care, like Marian Barnes suggests: social justice can be reached if the concept of human rights is strenghtned and impregnated by ethics of care.