Empowering Vulnerable Populations: Protection, Support, and Adaptation

Abstract

This editorial introduces a themed issue of the journal "Social Work and Society", which brings together ten original research studies focusing on vulnerable populations in various national contexts - Ukraine, Bulgaria, Albania, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, India, and the Philippines. The studies view vulnerability not as a fixed state, but as the result of the intersection of individual, social, institutional, and historical factors. The issue is structured around four thematic clusters: support infrastructure, family and recovery, the social dimension, and the representation of difference. Spanning micro- and macro-levels of analysis, the studies raise questions regarding the preparedness of social workers, psychosocial interventions for children in war zones, inclusive education, collective societal resilience, public health, and gender inequality. A recurring theme is the gap between formal commitments and operational reality, as well as the importance of approaches that recognize people as subjects rather than objects of assistance.