Injustices in Australia: Social Justice and the Fight for Equality

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Social Justice Issues in Australia

Social justice is an issue that affects people from all walks of life. It involves ensuring that everyone has equal opportunities and respect for others. It is also about helping those who need it the most.

Jen Merryweather works to create social justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities at The Fred Hollows Foundation. Her focus is on achieving health and life expectation equality through reconciliation.

Injustices against the indigenous people

The indigenous people in Australia are facing a lot of injustices. They are treated badly by police and are more likely to be incarcerated than other groups. Their rights are violated on a daily basis. They have been abused and neglected for hundreds of years. The Fred Hollows Foundation is working to address this problem by raising awareness and organising campaigns.

The Foundation’s campaign, Strong Eyes Strong Communities, aims to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eyesight through education and community outreach. The campaign also aims to build support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and reconciliation efforts.

Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Wenwen recently interviewed Hannah McGlade, a Noongar human rights lawyer from Western Australia, about the problems indigenous people in Australia face. The interview highlighted the need for leadership to tackle these issues. In the interview, McGlade said that equality is not the same as fairness. In order for a society to be truly equal, it must respect the rights of all citizens.

Injustices against women

Gender inequality remains a key issue in Australia. The Australian government signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1979 and has committed to implementing its standards within its laws, institutions, organisations and structures. This commitment has led to some progress, but the country is still far behind on the road to gender equality.

Women continue to be disproportionally impacted by family, domestic and sexual violence. They are also overrepresented in the criminal justice system, with many being victims of family violence and subjected to degrading strip searches in prisons.

In addition, the Australian government has a long track record of neglecting women’s health and wellbeing. This neglect has contributed to the high incidence of homelessness amongst women and a lack of social cohesion in Australia.

Injustices against people with disabilities

The goal of social justice is to foster a global community in which rights are respected and responsibilities are embraced. It requires tackling systemic barriers and biases that are harmful to all. At Caritas Australia we believe that social justice should also encompass the needs of people with disability.

In the context of Australia, a social justice approach is reflected in policies like a fair and impartial onshore refugee status determination process, and a commitment to an Australian Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Moreover, it is incomprehensible that refugees and asylum seekers are still being locked up indefinitely, whether offshore or in Melbourne hotels.

Injustices against people with disabilities are found across the country. They suffer from a lack of access to affordable health care, including eye health services, and are at increased risk of preventable blindness. While Australia has a comprehensive healthcare program in Medicare, many groups are not eligible for this service, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Injustices against the LGBT+ community

Despite the 2017 vote on same-sex marriage, discrimination against LGBTQ+ people continues. Injustices include bullying, harassment and expulsion from schools on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. They also suffer from higher rates of homelessness and suicide.

Equality Australia has released a report that highlights the need for greater social justice in this area. The report calls out laws that allow religious schools and faith-based service providers to discriminate against employees, students, and people who use their services on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity.

During the election campaign, TSA has asked people across Australia what social justice issues they see in their communities. These are reflected in the Social Justice Stocktake report, which includes reports for each state and territory and federal electorate (except Hawke). It shows that mental health and housing affordability are the top two concerns in most Australian communities. The report also highlights the importance of protecting Indigenous rights.

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The Impact of Social Issues on College Students

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Social Issues for College Students

Social issues can have a significant impact on students, affecting their learning and overall well-being. They can include things like discrimination, poverty, and environmental issues.

Colleges can address these problems by creating a community of acceptance and respect. They can also offer support services for students. These can include counseling and group sessions.

Social problems

College can be a stressful and challenging time for students. It can lead to financial problems, sexual assault and harassment, and bullying. These social problems can have serious consequences for the mental health of students. They can also affect their academic performance and cause them to drop out of school.

One way to address these issues is to improve student support services. This can include providing more counseling services and enhancing co-curricular programs. It can also involve implementing bystander intervention programs, which train students to recognize situations where social problems may occur and how to intervene in a safe and effective manner.

In addition, colleges should be willing to invest in these efforts. This will require a commitment to both funding and staffing, as well as a willingness to continually evaluate student outcomes and develop new initiatives that are tailored to each campus’s unique needs. By taking these steps, colleges can better support their students and create a more inclusive and supportive environment.

Financial stress

Financial stress is a common problem for college students, and it can have serious consequences. Those who are struggling with financial stress often have difficulty studying and focusing on their work. This can lead to a variety of social problems, such as mental health issues, loneliness, and substance abuse. It is important to address these issues, and colleges can do this by implementing programs that promote student wellness.

In addition, schools can encourage discussion of social issues by providing opportunities for students to engage in debates. This will help them develop critical thinking skills and prepare for the myriad opinions they may encounter in their careers and lives. Colleges should also be willing to invest in these efforts, both financially and in terms of staff time. They should also consider how these initiatives can be incorporated into semester-long courses. These efforts can enhance students’ learning and foster positive relationships in their collegiate communities. Social problems have a huge impact on students’ lives.

Discrimination

Many college students experience discrimination on campus. This can be manifested in various ways, including racial or sexual harassment and bullying. This can have a negative impact on their academic performance and can cause them to feel stressed or depressed. It is important for college administrators to be aware of this issue and to take steps to address it.

College administrators can help address this problem by creating spaces for students to discuss social issues. This can lead to increased discussions and a better understanding of different viewpoints. It can also help students learn how to engage with differences and adversity in the workplace and in their personal lives.

The University of Washington researchers found that students who experience discrimination have lower success in their careers and poorer health. They also report more stress, depression, and loneliness. The researchers suggest that these disparities are linked to the types of schools and classrooms where discrimination is most prevalent.

Environmental issues

Increasingly, students are concerned about environmental issues and are actively working to reduce their carbon footprints. In fact, many colleges are now promoting sustainability and climate change awareness. They offer courses on these topics as part of their curriculum or as electives. They also have student-led projects that focus on these issues.

A survey by the National Wildlife Federation found that college presidents cite environmental responsibility as their top reason for incorporating green programs into everything from curriculum and purchasing decisions to landscaping and recycling. Campuses are reducing their energy consumption, integrating life-cycle analysis into procurement, and recycling aluminum and various grades of paper.

One of the most popular environmental issues on campus is divestment, with students trying to persuade their schools to stop accepting research funding from fossil fuel companies. Moreover, they are demanding transparent greenhouse gas reduction goals and ecological footprints from their universities. This information could be invaluable for sociology faculty, allowing them to make informed decisions about their students.

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Compassion and Challenges in New York City

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Social Issues and New York City

A deep sense of compassion for those less fortunate has long been part of New York City’s culture. It has resulted in a municipal hospital and university system, generous welfare benefits, and large housing projects.

Yet nearly 90 years ago, Harlemites worried about under-resourced schools, job discrimination, unjust policing, and inadequate healthcare services. Many of these concerns still resonate today.

Poverty and Hardship

One in five New Yorkers live below the poverty line, and many more experience hardship. Moreover, financial distress can worsen mental health, which can further contribute to economic decline and impoverishment.

Since 2012, the Poverty Tracker has followed a representative sample of New York City households every three months to better understand the dynamics of income poverty and material hardship over time. The study, conducted by the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University, provides critical insights into the root causes of hardship in our communities.

For example, the study shows that food insecurity is at a crisis level for low-income Hispanic/Latinx residents, who are often misclassified as independent contractors and therefore miss out on benefits like half-price subway fares. The study also highlights the need for a more holistic approach to supporting families in need, including more funding for community-based organizations that can conduct benefits outreach and streamline benefit applications. Moreover, it calls for a fairer tax system that reflects the true cost of living in NYC.

Social Cohesion and Resiliency

In societies that have strong social cohesion, people willingly-and often enthusiastically-subordinate themselves to the benefit of the group. This is because the payoff of heightened cooperation is not only greater survival prospects for society as a whole, but also the intoxicating feeling of being part of something larger than oneself.

The City’s investment in climate resilience infrastructure must be complemented with community-led resiliency planning. This includes formally integrating and resourcing community leadership in resilience planning, ensuring access to dedicated flexible funding for community organizations to implement resilience solutions, and centering strategies to address the unique housing, economic, and health vulnerabilities of low-income communities.

Mandi Larsen is a university lecturer for methods of empirical social research at Jacobs University Bremen and coordinator of the Methods Center of the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS). Her current work explores how New York City community-based organizations (CBOs) are building social resilience in their neighborhoods by developing hyperlocal volunteer networks that help residents to cope with annual heat emergencies, while addressing the risks associated with social isolation.

Arts and Culture

The arts are central to the fabric of New York City, bringing communities together across our five boroughs. As demonstrated by the recent Social Impact of Art Project (SIAP) report, arts and culture can engage individuals and communities who have been historically excluded from civic decision making processes and can serve as a means of community building during times of crisis, whether natural disaster or political unrest.

During CreateNYC engagement events, stakeholders pointed to the need for greater support around wages for artists and cultural workers. Currently, many working in the cultural sector do not earn annual salaries and often work with multiple income sources to make ends meet.

During the pandemic, Capalino helped clients navigate federal funding opportunities that allowed theatres to keep their employees on payroll and operating. These efforts are important to ensure that culture continues to thrive in the city. In addition, this year, the City launched CUNY Cultural Corps, a program that pairs CUNY students with paid internships at cultural organizations.

Human Rights

New York City is a cosmopolitan place with many different cultures. Inevitably, sometimes these differences can lead to disagreements or prejudice. In such cases, people can find reassurance that there is judicial protection available through the City’s Human Rights Law.

The Commission investigates and seeks to remedy complaints of discrimination based on federally protected classes (age, race, color, creed, national origin, sex, disability, military status, and marital status), as well as on gender identity or expression. The Commission also promotes positive inter-group relations and works to ensure that the City’s Human Rights Law is understood and respected by all.

The city allows transgender teens to change the sex on their birth certificates and has allowed them to use public restrooms matching their gender identities since 2014. New Yorkers can learn more about their rights and how to report discrimination by visiting the NYC Human Rights Commission’s law overview page. The Commission’s “You Have Rights NYC” testimonial video series features honest stories from New Yorkers who have experienced discrimination and found help through the Commission.

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