What is World Day of Social Justice And Why do We Celebrate it

What is World Day of Social Justice And Why do We Celebrate it
World Day of Social Justice is observed every year on February 20.
What is World Day of Social Justice And Why do We Celebrate it
World Day of Social Justice is observed every year on February 20.

World Day of Social Justice Aims at Raising Awareness and Close Up Inequality Gap

Social justice itself is a political and philosophical theory which means there should be justice in every sphere of life despite religion, caste, colour, gender, nationality, and so on. The idea behind justice is to push the access to health, wealth, political, economic, social and legal justice to the people of all walks of life. Keeping in mind the 2020 theme of World Day of Social Justice is – “Closing the Inequalities Gap to Achieve Social Justice”.

UN promotes equal rights

The United Nations has been working to promote equal rights and opportunities among people of all sections in a country and between countries. Therefore, February 20 has been celebrated as the World Day of Social Justice. It was the brainchild of the United Nations General Assembly which approved the day on November 26, 2007.

Campaign to raise awareness

This day has been observed every year since 2009 to elevate awareness and wipe out ongoing social injustices from the world. The day encourages people to raise their voice against social injustice for the eradication of poverty, enhancing employment opportunities, bring out communal harmony, peaceful and prosperous relationship among the nations, promotion of gender equality including equal rights to migrants and indigenous people. If justice is restored, then hostile situations would disappear from the world shortly.

History

Moreover, the World Day of Social Justice is observed worldwide, albeit it is not a public holiday. Its seed was sown in 1995 in the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. In this grand summit, a large number of political leaders vowed to remove poverty, provide employment and work for the promotion of egalitarian societies.

After a decade, the UN members went through the Copenhagen declaration for Social Development in New York in February 2005. Therefore, the UN General Assembly declared February 20, 2007, as the annual World Day of Social Justice. The year 2009 was chosen for the first time to celebrate this day as the World Social Justice Day.

ILO adamant about protecting people

The International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) declaration on global social justice has set an example of the United Nation’s dedication in the promotion of justice worldwide. The ILO’s declaration focuses on the safeguard of the people, especially the downtrodden of society. The organisation also believes in putting people and the planet in the first category to eliminate all social evils.

Indian perspective of equality

Indian society has been working for ages to restore equality and social justice, not only in India rather across the world. Some of the social reformers like Raja Rammohan Ram, Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and others had to run from pillar to post faced the backlash of the society in abolishing social injustices form the country. These social activists were responsible for abolishing the old oppressive and shameful system from the country. Irrespective of oppositions, they remained firm on their feet and succeeded, later on, they got the support from the like-minded people in removing the social stigma from the nation.

The Constitution of India promotes social justice to the people of the country in its many articles such as Article 17 states the removal of untouchability from society. Therefore, the former Chief Justice P. B.Gajendragadkar said, “In this sense, social justice holds the aims of equal opportunity to every citizen in the matter of social and economic activities to prevent inequalities”.

Celebrations

This day is celebrated all over the world with a purpose to promote social justice and muster the several communities and organisations on one platform to eliminate poverty, illiteracy, social inequality and so on to make a peaceful, integrated society. Students of the school, colleges and universities play a vital role on this occasion as they organise programmes and pledge to contribute to the eradication of poverty, strengthening social and economic conditions of the people and removing unemployment.