Humanitarian Crisis & Conflict in the Middle East | BASW/SWU Information Hub

BASW and SWU abhor the ongoing military violence and risk to civilian life in Gaza, Lebanon and Israel, and the deepening humanitarian and health crisis. 

As social workers, we work for peace and dialogue between all communities in the UK and internationally. Our commitment is to the right of all civilians to live free of violence and for fundamental human rights to be upheld for all people in accordance with the UN Declaration and the European Convention on Human Rights. We also stand in solidarity with social workers in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon who are supporting victims and communities in a situation of war and where our internationally defined ethics and values must be upheld in the most difficult circumstances. 

We continue to urge the UK Government to work for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, to stop arming the war, call for displaced Palestinian, Israeli and Lebanese civilians to be allowed to return to their homes and remaining Israeli hostages to be released, and to work with international partners to maximise efforts to ensure compliance with international law. Governments of all persuasions must work to deescalate tensions in the Middle East and secure a negotiated political settlement that ends the cycle of violence across the region.

BASW and SWU condemn in the strongest possible terms and stand against all instances of Antisemitism and Islamophobia within the UK and globally. We deplore the huge rise in reported antisemitic attacks, including in the immediate wake of the October 7th Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, and the fears arising from this within the Jewish community. We deplore the reported tripling of Islamophobic threats and attacks in the UK since October 7th and the military action in Gaza, two thirds of such acts being against women.  

Together, BASW and SWU will continue to offer support and guidance to our members and work within respective bodies to advocate for social work’s voice in this situation. We want to support members and others affected, whether through loss or harm of loved ones or through the impact of this outbreak of violence on community relationships and safety in the UK. 

Please find below support and resources in response to this ongoing crisis. BASW and SWU do not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these resources. Please get in touch on info@basw.co.uk to raise any issues.