Basically, a society is considered just when it has racial and ethnic equality, economic equality, works on reducing hunger and poverty and promotes social and political freedom. In this context, social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality, and can be defined as the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society.
Social Justice is important because it promotes and works toward a society that celebrates diversity and equality. Having more equality and diversity in a society is good for society because it promotes opportunity, growth and social well being. Social justice is defined as justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.
Often this is achieved through institutions or services that work to make sure people can equally access the benefits of social cooperation and guard against socio-economic inequality
The 4 types of justice: commutative, distributive, legal, and social. Three common examples of social injustice include: discrimination, ageism and homophobia. According to Quora.com, “Social injustice issues would be things like unfair labor practices, racial discrimination, discrimination due to gender, orientation, ethnicity, age.
World Day of Social justice falls on February 20 every year. It is a fundamental principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.
Let’s see what the Founder of Pakistan Quaid-e- Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah said on this issue: We should have a State in which we could live and breathe as free men and which we could develop according to our own lights and culture and where principles of Islamic social justice could find free play.
The most widely used empirical indicators of social justice and well-being provide a mixed picture of the world. On average there is social progress at the global level. Global inequality appears to have taken a decreasing trend in the mid-2000s for the first time since the beginning of the 19th century. Yet the gaps between the richest and the poorest countries and the richest and poorest households remain staggering.
Principles of fairness must be taken seriously to judge these disparities. The general consensus has shifted from a utilitarian view of justice to an egalitarian view, where equality of primary goods, capabilities, resources, or opportunities depending on which perspective is taken – should be guaranteed. The condition of the most disadvantaged in society, rather than its average member, now occupies center stage. Other approaches advocate the liberation of people oppressed by economic or social relationships in capitalist regimes as the basis for social justice.
Empirically, the measurement of subjective well-being over long time spans has revealed some disconcerting truths. In spite of consumption having increased at least threefold in some rich countries since the 1950s, the increase in average subjective well-being has been virtually absent. Moreover, the disappearance of social safety nets associated with institutional changes in transition economies has considerably deteriorated subjective well-being. These findings point to the dependence of subjective well-being from social and institutional conditions.
Competition is used for better understanding of the principles of justice and well-being.This competition takes place also in non-market areas, including institutions and organizational design as well as in politics and between economic systems. In contrast to the personal incentives, individual solutions and short-sightedness of ideal competition, real competition often rewards complementary gains such as cooperation, trust, and long-term thinking. This is why global competitive forces can induce social equality that revolutionizes the political and economic structure from within.
Comparing wide ranging experiences in small and large countries from Russia to South Korea and from Scandinavia to Latin America; system competition varies from socialism vs. capitalism to politics vs. markets, including dictatorships with and without markets; and markets with and without a social ethos and social democratic features.
There are in society stronger and weaker sections and virtually this is the case in all existing societies. It is our duty to protect the weak in our midst? It is our constitutional obligation to protect what constitutes human rights. For the United Nations, the pursuit of social justice for all is at the core of our global mission to promote development and human dignity. According to the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights: ‘Every man is a joint inheritor of all the natural resources and of the powers, inventions and possibilities accumulated by our forerunners. He is entitled, within the measure of these resources and without distinction of race, color or professed beliefs or opinions, to the nourishment, covering and medical care needed to realize his full possibilities of physical and mental development from birth to death.
Notwithstanding the various and unequal qualities of individuals, all men shall be deemed absolutely equal in the eyes of the law, equally important in social life and equally entitled to the respect of their fellow-men.
Islam also emphasizes on social justice. Almighty Allah prescribes justice for Muslims to include everything in their lives starting from justice of regime, testimony, treating the family, wife and all people even enemies and foes. The Holy Quran says: “verily! Allah commands you should render back the trusts to those, to whom they are due, and that when you judge between men, you should judge with justice.’ (An-Nisa: 58), and He also says: “and not let the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety” (Al-Maidah: 8).
The adoption by the International Labor Organization of the Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization is just one example of the UN system’s commitment to social justice. The Declaration focuses on guaranteeing fair outcomes for all through employment, social protection, social dialogue, and fundamental principles and rights at work.
This landmark Declaration is a powerful reaffirmation of ILO values and ILO’s key role in helping to achieve progress and social justice in the context of globalization. The Declaration promotes decent work through a coordinated approach to achieving four strategic objectives: employment, social protection, social dialogue, and fundamental principles and rights at work. The impact of the Declaration, in particular the extent to which it can contribute to promoting the aims and purposes of the Organization through the integrated pursuit of the strategic objectives, depends on the society members.
ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization adopted on 10 June 2008 by the representatives of governments, employers and workers from all ILO member States, expresses the contemporary vision of the ILO’s mandate in the era of globalization.
The International Labor Conference adopted the Social Justice Declaration together with a Resolution on strengthening the ILO’s capacity to assist its Members’ efforts to reach its objectives in the context of globalization.
The Social Justice Declaration is the third major statement of principles and policies adopted by the International Labor Conference. It builds on the Declaration concerning the aims and purposes of the ILO (Declaration of Philadelphia) (1944) and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998).
The Declaration is the outcome of tripartite consultations that started in the wake of the Report of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization. By adopting this text, the governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations of the ILO’s 187 member States commit to enhance the ILO’s capacity to advance these goals through the Decent Work Agenda. The Declaration institutionalizes the concept of decent work recognized since 1999, placing it at the core of the Organization’s policies to reach its constitutional objectives.
Social Justice is a revolutionary concept which provides meaning and significance to life and makes the rule of law dynamic. Social Justice is not a blind concept. It seeks to do Justice to all the citizen of the state. Social Justice is supposed to dwell mainly in the abolition of all sorts of inequalities which are the concomitants of all sorts of inequalities of wealth and opportunity, race, caste, religion, distinction and title. The Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan obligates the state of Pakistan to protect and promote human rights of all its citizens without any discrimination. Furthermore, Pakistan being a responsible member of the international community honors its obligations.