The term social justice refers to an equitable and fair division or allocation of resources, opportunities, and civil liberties in society. Social justice depends in large part on the social, political, and economic institutions that collectively promote fairness, equity, human rights, participation, and access to basic facilities like education and health.
Issues of social justice trace their roots to oppressive and discriminatory systems that are often deeply intertwined. A society is just when everyone is protected, supported, and respected. To achieve social justice, many issues inevitably linger and must be addressed.
For example, social justice and healthcare are intrinsically interwoven. In the US, despite the Affordable Care Act of 2010, gaps persist in coverage, particularly in areas like the allocation of resources to mental health care. The COVID-19 pandemic proved how vital access to healthcare can be, as many members of disadvantaged communities struggled to access tests, treatment, and professional mental health help.
The challenge of refugees only seems to grow bigger by the year. For example, in 2023, data from the UN Refugee Agency indicates over 2 million refugees will need resettling, a 36 percent increase from the number recorded in 2022. In particular, women and children are vulnerable to trafficking and violence.
Both smugglers and some poorly trained police are also among the perpetrators of violence against refugees. Going forward, the safety and resettlement of refugees must be addressed as urgent social justice issues by both governments and international groups, such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other UN bodies.
Returning to the US, although many laws prevent racial discrimination, social justice challenges regarding racism persist. Racism is systemic and not always overt when it comes to, for example, workplace or policing hiring. However, it can also come out in the open as violent physical and even lethal attacks on people of color and minoritized populations. These are acts that hurt, ostracize, and demean certain groups of people. Social movements since the murder of George Floyd are a step in the right direction, as they highlight many of these social injustices.
Still related to social justice is the scarcity of mental health resources and how that intersects with gun violence in the US all linked to homicides, suicides, and mass shootings. Gun related homicides in the US rank the highest among developed nations. The impact of such acts goes far beyond those killed. Those who have lost loved ones, become injured, or witnessed gun violence often suffer long-term mental and physical effects.
While the Constitution protects the right to own arms in the US, many laws are increasingly being proposed or enacted to curb gun-related violence. Among these is banning specific weapons from civilian ownership and conducting more thorough background checks for those seeking to own guns.
Human rights are a social justice issue. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, (questioning), intersex, asexual, and agender (LGBTQIA) rights is a long standing issue not just in the US, but globally. LGBTQIA people and communities, despite some social progress, face continuing discrimination. Often, LGBTQIA people are unable to access the same healthcare, educational, and political opportunities. Even where current laws protect them, bullying, harassment, and physical attacks are still too common.
Finally, the effects of climate change have assumed a social justice dimension. Although climate change might seem like a scientific issue for scientists to address, the ravages of global warming and pollution place significant strain on scarce resources that could have otherwise gone to uplift the welfare of communities. Social justice aims to drive and inspire meaningful action by all stakeholders including governments, businesses, and individuals.
