What is social justice? It sounds like an oxymoron. On the surface, these two ideas may seem opposed to one another. However, they actually compliment each other. In fact, there are some important differences between social justice and equity.
Equity describes things that are fair in nature. For example, everyone has the same rights to education and health care. This form of social justice is usually related to caring and being a good member of the community. When people have equal rights to resources, they are considered to be social justice.
On the other hand, social justice issues deal with discrimination. Everyone has the right not to be discriminated against when it comes to their gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or age. This form of social justice is usually linked to anti-racism. Treating someone unfairly because of these factors automatically constitutes discrimination. This is one way that some social justice issues get resolved.
The United States has a long history of fighting discrimination. In many societies around the world, discrimination occurs regularly including United States. People are denied access to jobs, services, education, housing, health care, and many other opportunities simply because of who they are. Human rights defenders have been trying to put an end to this type of discrimination for years. Social justice and equity work hand-in-hand to ensure that all Americans have access to equal rights.
The United States has made great progress in protecting its citizens’ human rights. Unfortunately, many still face different forms of discrimination, even in modern society. The United States is one of the very few countries in the world that has written and codified its own human rights legislation. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the National Constitution of the United States are the basic landmarks of social justice and equity. These are the Four Principles of Social Justice and Equity.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the National Constitution guarantee every citizen the rights set forth in the document. The Universal Declaration of Rights contains two primary sections, one for people of color and another for people disabled or disadvantaged. The primary sections of the Universal Declaration of Rights guarantee freedom of speech and peaceful assembly; freedom of religion; protection of children, women, racial or ethnic groups, workers, and the environment; privacy, confidentiality, and family rights; equal access to education; equal representation and access to government services. The National Constitution guarantees the rights listed in the first section of the declaration. These two documents become important legal landmarks for all Americans.
The goal of ensuring fair and accurate representation and access to government services is also reflected in the four principles of social justice and equity. The Equal Access Act of 1988, as part of the Civil Rights Act, defined who is eligible for federal programs based on disability, gender, ethnicity, language, nationality, or age and which races and ethnic backgrounds are eligible for those programs. The four principles of social justice and equity further identify who should benefit from these programs and how they should be provided access to programs.
This article is intended to generate an awareness of the concepts and goals of social justice and equity in the practice and policy of the social work profession. It is a primer on issues regarding social justice work and the concepts and philosophy of social work. This article emphasizes on critical issues related to the definition of social justice, its relationship with social work and its relationship with equity and fairness. It is hoped that this discussion will stimulate reflection on issues of social justice and social work and help individuals identify their own personal perspectives on issues of social justice and social work.
