The World hasn’t completely moved on from the devastating effects of the pandemic and now various social justice issues are calling for attention. Internet ensured a constant connection among people all across the globe during the lockdown and even then various cases of racial discrimination, gender inequality, and socioeconomic inequality kept coming to the surface.
In recent times, there has been a significant increase in the number of social justice movements and global debates and discussions on how to resolve these issues. It is high time that people pay more attention to the social injustice happening around the globe and be aware of the various forms it can take.
Socio-economic inequality
It is often heard that the “Rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer” but the disparities are wider than what people might expect.
In India for example, the top 10% of the population earns 57% of the national income and the rest 90% which is divided into middle and lower classes gets 29.5% and less than 20% respectively. The lower class which comprises more than 40% of the country’s population gets only 20%. The division is further grim when the pay of female employees to their male counterparts is compared and the pandemic has only worsened the situation.
Gender inequality
Discrimination based on sex or gender has been prevalent in societies for decades and even today, in the 21st century, the world is still far away from attaining gender equality.
From homes to workplaces, inequalities exist almost everywhere. Female children are usually supposed to stay indoors, many times not even provided education and the males in the family are made to bear financial responsibilities.
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There are inequalities in wages of male and female employees, women usually get fewer opportunities to grow in their profession than their male coworkers. These norms and discriminations sometimes take the form of violence and conflicts.
Healthcare
The defects and shortcomings of the healthcare system have been exposed well during the pandemic. It’s high time that governments make efforts in the direction of developing better infrastructure and making healthcare accessible to everyone. Incentives have to be taken to lower the cost of treatments to make them affordable to poor people.
In India, 23% of the people in need of treatment cannot afford it. The government has to allocate more funds to the health sector.
Women’s Rights
It’s unfortunate that even in the 21st century, women are still fighting for their rights. Many of them are still facing discrimination based on gender and are struggling to live a life free from domestic violence, sexual harassment, and physical and mental abuse.
Movements such as the #Metoo Campaign and the #GirlUp Campaign prove to be a constant effort in the direction of eliminating discrimination and highlighting gender-based violence.
Ageism
According to WHO, Ageism refers to the stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination towards others and oneself based on age. It has severe impacts on a person’s social and economic well-being and can result in high levels of stress and negativity.
Prejudices are embedded in organizations, people, and industries that resist hiring and providing opportunities to older people. They are struggling to get access to proper healthcare and necessities.
World hunger
According to the data provided by WHO, 2.3 billion people (29.3% of the World’s population) were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021. The increase in world hunger is mainly contributed to the increasing population. Children and women are the most vulnerable groups as they have fewer opportunities to work and earn a living.
It’s difficult to imagine growth and development when such a huge proportion of the population is undernourished.
Refugee crisis
The number of people displaced has more than doubled in this decade compared to earlier. A large proportion of refugees comes from countries such as Afghanistan, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Somalia, and others. Political issues, civil wars, human right violation, and economic crises are the main reasons for the displacement of people. It’s alarming that half of the refugees are children.
The World is in the need of International organizations and laws that protect human rights and ensure peace and prosperity.
Violence
Conflicts are rising over the years, people are becoming less tolerant towards each other and the cases of homicides and killings have been on the rise. The Internet plays a huge role in connecting people through social media and sometimes, small disagreements can take the form of violent conflicts when information is all over the place.
Terrorist activities contribute to a large number of killings. Fighting terrorism and ensuring a peaceful environment among various religions and races should be one of the top priorities of the government.
Racism
Every day, a large number of people become victims of racial discrimination and prejudices. The Internet is flooded with evidence of violence and discrimination based on color.
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People face inequality in opportunities, access to education, and healthcare because of belonging to a particular race. There aren’t enough laws to eliminate this discrimination. Movements like #blacklivesmatter have been initiated to fight racism and anti-black violence.
Conclusion
It is the responsibility of the governments that justice is served to people facing such discrimination and unfairness. These inequalities cause many problems in the lives of people. Even before ensuring technological advancements and economic growth, it is the responsibility of lawmakers and law takers that human rights are protected and vulnerable groups are provided better opportunities and care.
