By Amelia Strazdins
On the fourteenth of February, the world gathers to celebrate their love for their partners and many spend inordinate amounts of money on bunches of red roses and immaculately wrapped chocolates. However, many are oblivious to the fact that only a mere six days later a very important day falls, one that recognises and supports world issues. The twentieth of February is the proclaimed day for World Day of Social Justice, bringing awareness for all issues from inequality to homelessness.
International organisations band together with the intent to inform and educate the world about the imminent issue still prominent in their modern society. Many agencies such as the United Nations release statements pledging their commitment to improving societal issues and pressing the importance of social justice across all religions, races and genders.
Each year the United Nations choses a specific social issue to tackle or a phrase to focus on during the new year, although the 2018 theme is yet to be picked, the theme last year was “Preventing conflict and sustaining peace through decent work,”. The theme for 2017 focused heavily on tying nations together through peace and each year the United Nations presents plans on how to achieve better social justice, focusing particularly on the set theme and what steps both the government and citizens can take to help ensure a better future.
It’s not only international organisations that get involved on February twentieth, but many schools and universities prepare activities, whether for the week or day focusing on the prominent issues brought to light by the chosen theme. Fundraisers are set up, donations appreciated, and many schools talk to students about what they can do to help eliminate the problems affecting their futures. However, despite such an encouraging response from the education community, many people in society are not aware of what an important event World Day of Social Justice is.
To help encourage the importance of the day that falls on February, pushing for the media to further promote the day would help spread the message about what can be done to help contribute towards this event. Not only pushing for more media attention but also pushing for more community activities based around the annual theme would allow locals to do their part to help fundraiser or promote the difference the help the community can make towards reducing these societal issues. Although the month of February is based strongly on love, it is time to spread the love further and help support the hard work that these amazing international organisations are doing to help people tackle issues such as poverty, homelessness and unemployment across the world and appreciate the hard work and effort put in by millions to try and achieve these goals.