Social Justice

SOCIAL JUSTICE Guide

Social justice is the concept of fairness between individuals in society. Equal access to opportunities, education, healthcare, income, employment, and legal representation is still a goal that society is striving for.

Better World Info is an excellent ➡️ platform for social justice providing a wealth of essential resources for social justice advocates, human rights experts, equality campaigners, and everyone who believes in a more just world. Discover comprehensive guides to key social justice issues such as gender inequality, climate change, food insecurity, the refugee crisis, poverty, and much more.

There are many groups of society which find themselves marginalised, underrepresented, or treated poorly simply because of their gender, sexual preferences, racial background, nationality, or religious beliefs. We stand with human rights activist Desmond Tutu when he said,

“I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.”

 

Better World Info strives to empower, educate, and raise awareness of key social justice issues, as well as bring together those who wish to help change the world with us.

Where Can I Find Social Justice News?

To stay up-to-date on important social justice campaigns, demonstrations, and developments use our handpicked selection of the most important newspapers, magazines, and social media accounts to follow.

For up to the minute news, checkout Better World Info’s social justice Twitter list and find posts from the experts, key advocates, projects, and organisations.

Who Are The Best Social Justice Organisations?

Social justice organisations, and the philanthropic foundations that fund them, are essential in the progression towards a more equal society. Discover a multitude of the most effective NGOs working to solve social justice problems - separated by region you can search in your part of the world or for global initiatives.

Learn about how social movements work to foster societal change and bring together many different organisations, groups of society, and individuals to fight a specific social problem. Find information on the civil rights movement, the minimum wage movement, the international peace movement, Black Lives Matter, and many others.

Make use of Better World Info’s brilliant tools and resources specifically made for activists and changemakers, and discover how you can use social media for advocacy and campaigning.

Where Can I Get Background Info on Social Justice?

Social justice is a complex issue, rooted in history, and can be difficult to digest. To provide a wider picture, Better World Info explores the many different facets involved in achieving fairness.

Learn about how empowerment can uplift entire communities, and give them the autonomy and authority they deserve. Discover the importance of trade unions for workers' rights, improving wages, and working conditions. Recent industrial action in the UK and the U.S. has helped to highlight issues such as low-pay Britain, the UK economic crisis, and inequality in the U.S.

Social entrepreneurs, volunteers, and social workers are essential in helping develop, fund, and implement practical solutions to social, cultural, and environmental issues.

Key to the field of social justice are non profit organisations and the growing field of philanthropy. Find excellent resources on both here. Learn about fund raising, NGO management, how to find jobs with NGOs, and excellent news portals. Search through our huge directory on donors and funders by sector, resources for grant makers, important organisations and charities, and how to best achieve effective altruism.

Activism and activists support the hard work of organisations and unite people to fight common causes. Learn about influential advocates, find key resources on how to get involved, and the risks that rights defenders face when acting against the wishes of politicians and corporations who benefit from injustices.

Better World Info supports awareness days such as International Workers' Day and World Day of Social Justice. Learn more about how you can celebrate these days, and the importance of raising the profile of social justice issues.

Two important concepts essential for societal equality are that of compassion and kindness. As a platform for positive social change, Better World Info spreads the messages of empathy, mindfulness, ethics, reciprocity, generosity, respect, and friendship. We can all make a small difference by integrating kindness in our everyday lives, let’s start today!

What Are The Biggest Social Justice Issues?

• Money

Economic inequality is now worse than ever. The combined wealth of the world’s billionaires is now equal to 13.9% of total global GDP!

While the majority of people struggled during the covid-19 pandemic, 573 people joined the billionaire ranks. The divide is widening, and it is not only an issue in developing nations. In the last few decades, the wealth gap in the U.S has increased substantially, not only are the rich getting richer, but the poor have become trapped in poverty, and undesirable living situations.

Coupled with the global economic ramifications of the Ukraine war, we are seeing food prices and inflation soar, as well as sharply rising energy costs due to sanctions on Russian gas and oil. We are currently witnessing a cost-of-living crisis across Europe.

Lack of social welfare leaves citizens without security of protection in times of need. Without this kind of governmental assistance for healthcare, unemployment, sickness, disability, and childcare people find themselves unable to improve their situations, become disempowered, and potentially homeless.

• Family

Social justice issues affect different members of the family in different ways. In ageing societies, elders are often pushed to one side and regarded as dispensable. Find organisations which support older people with common concerns such as pensions, retirement, adult learning, poverty, computers, healthy ageing, safety, and elder abuse. Information on all of these issues can be found in our category on senior citizens.

Regarding fathers, paternal rights are often an afterthought. Single fathers, stay at home fathers, and fathers with daughters may face extra challenges in today's world.

Mothers similarly are under pressure to ‘have it all’. Learn about managing motherhood and a career, advice for single mothers, societal expectations, feminism, maternal mental health, and attacks on reproductive rights such as the recent rollback on abortion laws in the U.S.

Find additional information on nurturing compassionate children, blended families, and educating your children on racism, gender equality, justice, peace, and morality in todays complicated world.

• Work

Even with workers' rights protected by law and trade unions, social justice issues in the workplace persist. Youth unemployment levels are high, especially in developing countries. Lack of opportunities, access to education, relevant skills and training, coupled with low minimum wages and low labour market prospects all contribute.

Learn about unemployment in general, your rights as an employee, the gender wage gap, working from home opportunities, and how AI could affect the labour market and the future of your job.

• Home

Social justice issues affect every part of our lives, including our living situations. Inflation, rising living costs, and lack of affordable housing has created a housing crisis. The covid-19 pandemic exasperated the situation as many people lost a large portion of their income or were out of work completely.

Many landlords took advantage of this situation and actually rose rental prices, and those with mortgages lived under the threat of foreclosure. We explore these issues and many others including tenant protection, rent freezes, and housing alternatives like tiny homes, intentional communities, and co-housing.

Going deeper, learn about the social and cultural issues that migrants face when resettling in their new home countries. The importance of migrant integration has proven to be beneficial to migrants themselves, the host communities, the local economy, and improves inclusivity in general.

• Minorities 

Minority communities face the toughest challenges of all. In some countries just being yourself can put you at risk of imprisonment or worse. Left marginalised, vulnerable, and voiceless, whole sectors of society can be ignored, abused, and taken advantage of.

We explore each of the most at risk communities, the challenges they face, and the organisations and support available to them. Society benefits most when ALL members of it are valued and treated equally.

Knowing your rights is a big step in the fight for equality. Our section on people living with disabilities shows you exactly where to find this information, as well as networking groups, financial assistance, and employment advice.

The disability wage gap is a massive issue, and people with disabilities are much more likely to be excluded from the job market. Some countries still don’t recognise mental disabilities, in other places physical disabilities are heavily stigmatised and family members are either hidden away or even paraded in the street to ask for money.

With over 1,000 links to excellent resources, organisations, and interesting reads, our section on the LGBTQI+ community is a must. Find separate categories which feature key issues faced by the various members of this community, and how we can work towards solving them.

An eye-opening section on anti-gay policies, laws, and treatment reveals how much work there still is to be done. Despite improved inclusivity, increased awareness, and international pride campaigns, hate crimes are still on the rise. 70 countries still criminalise same-sex relationships, in 11 of these, the death penalty can be used against this ‘offense’.

Other challenges in the community include increased levels of homelessness, domestic abuse, bullying, and discrimination in the workplace – the rates are even higher for black, Asian, and minority ethnic groups.

Better World Info has collated over 2,000 resources on migrants and refugees who are another group that society is failing. They face barriers to employment, education, healthcare, housing, can feel alienated, and are vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and hostility.

• Safety

One fundamental human right is our right to safety and protection. We all have the right to exist and exercise our freedoms without fear. Despite this right being set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is violated all the time, with some groups more likely to fall victim than others.

Uncover the devastating effects of racism, hate crime, and hate speech. Witness how peaceful protesters are violently turned upon such as in the recent Mahsa Amini protests in Iran. How police brutality and increased militarisation has made the streets unsafe for people of colour in the U.S.

Learn about the impacts of domestic violence, where to find support, and how the covid-19 pandemic led to an 8% increase in incidents. Find further information on violence in schools, school shootings, political extremism, coups, and how all of them effect our right to safety.

Who Are The Champions of Social Justice?

People who dedicate themselves to promoting social justice, work incredibly hard to open new doors of opportunity and access to those who may otherwise have been denied it. They are committed to advancing equality and protecting the most vulnerable sectors of society.

With over 1,000 links to journalists, politicians, activists, human rights workers, philosophers, philanthropists, you needn’t look any further to find inspiration.

Learn more about the work of human rights activist Desmond Tutu and his work in ending apartheid in South Africa. Discover the endless compassion of Mother Theresa who helped millions regardless of their beliefs or social standing. Dive into the world of Right Livelihood Winner Thai social activist Sulak Sivaraksa who founded numerous social, humanitarian, and environmental organisations in support of democracy, justice, and human dignity.

Better World Info's Afterthoughts on Social Justice

Built on the foundations of human rights, equality, inclusion, and accessibility, social justice is a right that should never be denied. We cannot hope to build a just, safe, and prosperous world without it. As the concept is so multi-faceted, society has struggled to solve the many issues that are associated with a just world.

We must combine the efforts of policy makers, law enforcers, educators, healthcare providers, politicians, human rights defenders, environmentalists, and just about every part of society. They all need to be on the same page for justice to be achieved.

As a platform for social justice, Better World Info aims to spread reliable information about your rights and entitlements, we raise awareness of injustices, and support organisations working towards equality.

We all have the ability to demonstrate compassion and kindness in this often dark world. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘let’s be the change we want to see in the world,’ and start working towards a better society today.

For German speakers, be sure to check out our sister site Bessere Welt Info and the essential Soziale Gerechtigkeit guide with over 5,000 links.

Author: Rachael Mellor, 03.03.23 licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0

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