Assignment 2: Discussion—Serving International Victims

As travel and communication across the globe become easier and more frequent, service professionals often join international human services organizations to provide services abroad. Additionally, many immigrants seek human services for issues related to events that occur in their home countries. In either case, providers abroad or in large cities in the United States often encounter clients who are victims of war, poverty, or political upheaval.

It is important that, as a student of psychology, you gain an understanding of the issues involved in serving international victims. This assignment highlights the importance of understanding the victims’ culture, strengths, and potential, so that as providers you can catalyze the victims’ ability to help themselves most effectively.

Imagine you are a news correspondent for a major national newspaper. Your editor has asked you to write a review of a brief film for this weekend’s edition of the newspaper. View both parts of the brief film below, Women of Liberia: Fighting for Peace:

Download the PDF Transcript here.

Use the Internet, your textbook, and the Argosy University online library resources to research international victims in this field.

Using at least one of the academic sources you find through your search to justify your ideas, address the following issues in your review:

• Discuss the impact of class, gender, and politics on women in Liberia.
• How did some women make a difference? What was the outcome?
• What human service efforts had the greatest impact?
• Why do you think the women benefited most from helping themselves and each other within their own communities, rather than accepting outside help?

Write your initial response in a minimum of 350 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.