20 February is the International Day of Social Justice. It's a significant day, given the rise of extremism and anti-social policies around the world.
The International Day of Social Justice in a nutshell
The UN launched this day in 2007 to put social justice back on the international, national and regional policy agendas. It is a time to reflect on the social inequalities that permeate our societies. The UN is encouraging governments to put in place policies to combat poverty, exclusion and homelessness, and to promote health, employment, education and equality.
The role of social justice is to protect and guarantee human rights. The International Labour Organisation's Declaration, signed in 2008, established this international day to put in place four pillars: employment, social protection, social dialogue and fundamental rights and principles at work.
Social justice and the Arizona coalition
In our country, this day is particularly symbolic, just a few days after the installation of the new ‘Arizona’ federal government. Belgium is facing rising social inequality, a housing crisis and job insecurity.
However, after several months of negotiations, the Arizona coalition has concocted a government agreement that is worrying for social rights: time limits on unemployment, dismantling of certain pensions, etc. Pure budgetary austerity is about to affect the daily lives of millions of Belgians
The CPASs are going to be faced with additional burdens: because of measures such as time limits on unemployment benefits, the number of CPAS beneficiaries is set to rise sharply. This is all the more unfair given that more and more people are already struggling to pay for accommodation. Rents are rising all the time, and are the biggest item of household expenditure.
The right to a pension is also in danger of being undermined, particularly for the most vulnerable groups and women. Those with part-time jobs will be the first to pay the bill for the savings made at their expense. Rights of access to the GRAPA will also be tightened, while indexation of social benefits will be slower.
Migrants will also be affected by these measures, at a time when the migration crisis is crying out for support. The climate crisis and the failure to respect human rights are putting the lives of millions of people around the world at risk. Yet Belgium is announcing the toughest possible migration policy. The number of closed centres is set to double, while the government is reducing the number of reception places.
Putting social justice back at the heart of concerns
In Belgium, 2.1 million people (18.2%) are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. More than 50,000 people are inadequately housed or homeless. One person in seven skips a meal. Nearly 160,000 people receive a living wage from the CPAS, a number that has doubled in 20 years. There is a great risk that even more people will lose their homes, or need social services and support, while the measures are worrying the entire voluntary sector. The International Day of Social Justice must put the fight against poverty and social exclusion back at the centre of our concerns. For social justice to be effective, we need the strongest shoulders to participate and do their bit. We must not forget anyone.