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Social problems in Europe: Dilemmas and possible solutions Reviewers Jonas Ruškus Nassira Hedjerassi Editor L’Harmattan Paris Collection managed by Ghislaine Pelletier and Stéphane Rullac, BUC Ressources. Cover design Emmanuel Busquet BUC Ressources’librarian Edited by Edyta Januszewska and Stéphane Rullac Social problems in Europe: Dilemmas and possible solutions © L’Harmattan, 2013 5-7, rue de l’Ecole-Polytechnique, 75005 Paris http://www.librairieharmattan.com [email protected] [email protected] ISBN : 978-2-343-01867-6 EAN : 9782343018676 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Barbara Smolińska-Theiss ................................................................................. 7 I. REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS ........................................................ 11 “Determinants of social work with refugees and immigrants” Krystyna M. Błeszyńska ............................................................................................... 13 “The arrival of north African migrants in the south of Italy: Practices of sustainable welfare within a non-welcoming system” Anna Elia................................................................................................................... 33 “Child refugees and immigrants in Denmark: A researcher's reflections” Edyta Januszewska ..................................................................................................... 49 II. HOMELESS............................................................................................. 71 “Paths to homelessness: Reconstruction of the process based on research into biographies of the homeless” Małgorzata Kostrzyńska ............................................................................................. 73 “The emergence of a state-aided aberration? The case of the homeless in France” Stéphane Rullac ........................................................................................................... 89 III. STREET KIDS, ORPHANHOOD KIDS, FOSTER FAMILY, SUICIDE AMONG YOUNG KIDS ............................................................. 105 “Social orphanhood in Russia” Roza Valeeva ............................................................................................................ 107 “Social assistance for the foster family in Russia” Gulnara Biktagirova ................................................................................................. 115 “Psycho-pedagogic prevention of suicidal risks among collegiate young people” Nadezhda Kostyunina ................................................................................................ 121 “Actions on behalf of <street children>: Challenges, opportunities, dangers” Ewelina Cazottes ....................................................................................................... 127 IV. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ..................................................................... 147 “Processual models of biographies of women experiencing domestic violence: An analysis of human strengths in the context of an action plan” Katarzyna Gajek ....................................................................................................... 149 5 V. SENIORS IN POLAND ........................................................................ 171 “Social situation of older people in Poland” Maria Łuszczyńska .................................................................................................... 173 VI. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY ........................................... 205 “The paradox of religious diversity and human rights in Europe” Anna Odrowąż-Coates ............................................................................................. 207 “Where do children learn democracy? (a voice from The Netherlands)” Engineer Theo Cappon .............................................................................................. 229 REVIEWS OF THE BOOK ......................................................................... 235 Jonas Ruškus ............................................................................................................. 235 Nassira Hedjerassi, .................................................................................................... 243 A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHORS ............................................................ 249 6 INTRODUCTION Prof. Barbara Smolińska-Theiss The Maria Grzegorzewska Academy of Special Education, Warsaw, Poland "Social problems in Europe: Dilemmas and possible solutions" is a significant work. Its realization was at the initiative of Dr. Edyta Januszewska of the Maria Grzegorzewska Academy of Special Education in Warsaw and Dr. Stéphane Rullac of BUC Ressources (Paris region), and it is the expression of several years cooperation between the social workers and pedagogues of these centers. The editors of the volume did not restrict themselves to the circle of their own institutions. They also invited input from members of well known academic centers in Poland, Russia, the Netherlands and Italy. The result of this, is a work that represents a meeting of European academics and professionals who are close to the social problems of modern Europe, who know these issues, and who examine and deal with them in practice. Their studies clearly show that the social problems in today's Europe are of a similar nature, resulting from crises and shortages as well as from the ethnic, political, religious and cultural conflicts plaguing Europe and the world. They also highlight that the spread of these problems transcends the boundaries of place and time, and the delineations of poverty, unemployment, homelessness and domestic violence which embrace Europe at present. "Social problems in Europe: Dilemmas and possible solutions" reveals and presents a little-known picture of a dual natured European community. It is a community of social problems which affect people in different countries. It's also an ideological and professional community of social workers, educators, public policy makers and everyone involved in social care, the support and building of better conditions for development, for improving the quality of life and the observance of human rights, including the rights of children, the disabled and of ethnic and social minorities. On the one hand - the authors treat Europe as a shared endeavor, a social project encompassed by the slogans of freedom, equality, justice and democracy. On the other hand, they point to today's nagging problems of economic, political and social crisis. They reveal the dangers and shortcomings afflicting various social groups and unmask the failures of social services in different countries. The myth of universal abundance has been shattered and faith in the efficacy of the welfare state and in its willingness and effectiveness to solve social problems has also collapsed. The winners and losers of the transformations are 7 become increasingly easier to recognize. Before our eyes a group is growing that was described Zygmunt Bauman as people for the rubbish tip. Among these are refugees, immigrants, orphans, street children, the homeless, and women and children experiencing violence. These are people ejected from mainstream society that end up stigmatized and marginalized. This group includes European and North African migrants as well as those fleeing war and violence from various parts of the world. Many make their way to Italy and France, but also to Denmark and Poland, in the hope of finding better living conditions. However, they often find that legal, political, and economic realities soon dispel the myth of finding easy opportunities to settle in another country and of an untroubled life. "Social problems in Europe: Dilemmas and possible solutions" is centered around three themes. The first involves the presentation of selected social problems with refugees and migration at the fore. This theme is illustrated by the works: "The arrival of North African migrants in the South of Italy: Practices of sustainable welfare within a non-welcoming system" (Dr. Anna Elia); "Child refugees and immigrants in Denmark: A researcher's reflections" (Dr. Edyta Januszewska); "Determinants of social work with refugees and immigrants" (Prof. Krystyna M. Błeszyńska). This section also includes the article "The paradox of religious diversity and human rights in Europe" (Dr. Anna Odrowąż-Coates). These works examine the overall legal, political, and cultural regulation of the migration and refugee problems in the world today. They are completed by a pedagogical analysis of the situation of refugee and immigrant children presently in Denmark. In general, the above studies show a diverse, multi-faceted and differentiated picture of migration and of the situation of migrants in Europe, be it in Italy, which is taking in Africans that land in Calabria and Sicily, or in France, which is experiencing a variety of religious and cultural entanglements with its significant Muslim population. The second thematic area raised by the authors focuses on social work practices. Here, in "Processual models of biographies of women experiencing domestic violence: An analysis of human strengths in the context of an action plan" (Dr. Katarzyna Gajek), theoretical and methodological material shows social work both as a discipline and a research process, while the works "Actions on Behalf of <street children>: Challenges, opportunities, dangers" (M.A. Ewelina Cazottes); "Social orphanhood in Russia" (Prof. Roza Valeeva); "Social assistance for the foster family in Russia"