Occupational therapists speaking for justice and human rights: From complicit silencing to collective resistance

Abstract

We are a Collective of occupational therapists from all areas of practice and roles with longstanding commitments to working for human rights in the context of colonial oppressions, including genocide. We aim to affirm our deep commitment to occupational therapy’s values and principles by naming and acting against the ongoing genocide of Palestinian people. This paper is an act of collective resistance, self-assertion and solidarity for all those in the profession who have been erased, denied, and harmed by the silence of occupational therapy’s national and international governing bodies, as well as the silencing. We write this piece anonymously to add our voices to those healthcare professionals who are speaking out – including those working in healthcare in Gaza. We begin by naming the injustice, citing recent evidence and the rulings of various international bodies considered authoritative and legitimate. Then we address the injustice of silence, as experienced in the occupational therapy profession through the silencing of its members. We continue by reviewing relevant professional obligations and ethical responsibilities of occupational therapists, including the requirement to speak out against occupational injustices. This is followed by an outline and critique of our profession’s governing bodies’ problematic responses and complicity, naming the harms caused from within. We conclude this paper by indicating the only ethical option for action; one that also applies to other healthcare professions whose institutions have been silent, hoping this will incite them to break their silence.

Keywords:

• occupational justice,
• war,
• expanded awareness,
• bioethics,
• immigrant settlement