CARIBBEAN STUDIES TOPIC 2.8 — SOCIAL JUSTICE (A) Definitions Social justice — Theattainment: 6f''equal rights’ and. opportunities .within a. society for. all siemibers’of that society: Rights — Legal:social.or,¢thical.principles.of freedom. or, entitlements the fundamental normative tules;about Whatis-allowed"6f peopleor owed to people: Equity — fhe: Distributive justice — The-principle, that. inthe allocation of goods and outcomes in a. society, everyoné ate lative wierits? Welfare — Anzexample*of distributive justice which is given’ (by govertiments) to" those: whoy cannot protidevforthemselves: Bats Sonicare taunt ‘the amenities of life he. social. contract between citizens and the State. requires inorder fo sitenglien the position of bei: This Discrimination — Actsionbehavior-which-treat-all-members.of a. group.ot.specific,jndividuals unfairly. Discrimi jus forms: racism, ageism, Sexi: fism-anc (®) Conceptions of Social Justice @ —‘Naturalrights’ conmd bbe xemoved oe x This is based on the principle that all»humans:have rights: that'are"universal, inalienable érid independent of any:legal.system. These rights may detive from religious, legal, ethical or moral ( principles. They include “You canrot remove. “ot gv these jights.death penalty perroves tis -- © THerigh to ie es Sore peape should be allased 15 + Theright to liberty and freedom of moverfent Q° % ‘other Cbean counhieo + Therright to equality before the law + The right to privacy and the protection of that privacy before the law + Freedom of thought, conscience and religion + Freedom of opinion and expression . iat JexudlS ane not exetme I fam Freedom of assembly and association - - Fore: nea } In modem society, these rights have been extended to include benefits or entitlements that ~~ __ persons who live in a just society should expect. These include Y + Civil and political rights such asthe freedom to participate in the political p 1 4 © Economic and social rights such as the right to education and health care, ‘oi wages and to an adequate standard of living; h + Ethnic rights such as the rights of minorities to be given the same tredtment as other groups in the society. Gi) Welfare? Welfaretis based om the principle.of distributive justice,— that the goods and’opportunities of the society:*should.-be:equitablys distributed "among the“ groups”in “society. In societies like the Caribbean, wheré Thequities were entrenched in the , the belief among policy makers is, ~ that a certain level of welfare is inevitable. In most societies, there are old age pensions, social assistance for single mothers with children, help with medical care, free education at the primaty level and sometimes beyond. ‘While the financial crisis has made it difficult to maintain social welfare programmes, there is no movement in the Caribbean to retract some of the entitlements given in the past. There-is the understaiiding’that'the'state’ has'a ‘contract ‘with ‘its citizens and is'tequired :to ‘provide:for their “fundamental needs. i) Mutual advantage: ‘The mutual-advantage concept of rights focuses on the contract between the state-and its citizens but emphasizes'merit-rather than needs. In other words, persons who merit receiving help from the State are rewarded. This concept is directly opposed to the welfare system and stresses self reliance on the part of citizens. This imiodél'assuimes'that’all citizens’ are‘equal and:should'be helped if they are’niot"eijoying an’acceptable standard’of living» However, that help’ should only be given to’ those that have merited it by their actions.Sadaldren hove diminished Kighto. @ Agesx/Ageisii exists in Caribbean society and affects persons at both ends of age spectrum. Eight Caribbean countries (Cuba, the Netherlands Antilld Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Suriname and St. Vincent, have populations with at least 10% aged 60 years or over. Thi will ereate Aisficiltyewith:the provision of social welfare programmes. for-thevelderly’sinice there:will B¢ insufficient of the Working population tosupport these payments: Young people are discriminated against in Caribbean society in that parents and guardians are still perceived as having total authority over minors. Although there is a general move to raise the age of sexual consent to 18 (as happened in Trinidad in 2015), dheré ate Stil Laws whicly al1OW ChildeeH fort ageeT2 16 be married with ‘the"petifsSionof parents. The voting age remains 18 except in Cuba where it is 16. In the Caribbean, persons are generally required to retire at age 60 although this may move to 65 in private enterprise. Contributory and non-contributory old-age pension schemes exist in many countries but the eventual pension does not allow ‘persons to live a sustainable lifestyle. In Jamaica, the pension is $2400 (USS20) weekly; in Barbados, BS127 (US$64) weekly; in TT, TT$500-inonthly (USSS8 weekly). Persons over age 60 often continue to work in the informal sector although this applies more to men than women and they often live in multigenerational households. In some countries, transport and health care benefits are given to persons over 60 but these are also the first benefits to be removed when economies contract. There is a general movement towards raising the retirement age and the age at which state pensions are received. There are few laws against age discrimination and few ways in which elderly people can receive redress. Caribbean society generally does not take concrete steps to del with the concems of the very elderly i.e. those over 80. GéHAeEZZ/Sexism; according to feminist thought, is part of the socialization Process that begins in the home. Caribbean society continues to be very ‘macho’ and the domestic sphere continues to be.seen a woman’s domain with the result that men are reluctant to take an equal share of domestic duties such as cooking, cleaning, laundry and child care, Women are often subjected to domesticGi) violence and spousal abuse and, in many countries, the legal system does not recognize the implications of female victimhood for the woman or her children. Outside the home, women are often subjected to sexual harassment. in the street and in the workplace. Again, the legal system ha TOCVEt advanced to deal with the issue in a holistic way and complainers are often ignored or subject to retaliation and further abuse. In the workplace, women suffer from sexual discrimination — they are often paid less than men, are promoted less often and are dismissed With greater frequency. ‘The woman's need for concessions to accommodate pregnancy, child care and care for seniors is often overlooked and is not protected by law in many places. Particularly in the business and financial world, women encounter the ‘glass ceiling’ and the ‘old boys” club’ when they attempt to further their careers. (Edhmicitycapd-races- Historically, Caribbean society was structured along racist lines. In the 21” century, these structures persist although they are more subtly applied since overt discrimination is now illegal. Race conjoins with class in Caribbean society so institutional discrimination in the education system, the justice system, finance and commerce and the media is often perceived as being class discrimination and able to be overcome when the individual acquires the necessary financial and social capital. However, social reproduction continues to ‘occur and the education system continues to be inequitable. ‘The employer class continues to function as ‘gatekeepers’ and in the multiethnic societies of Trinidad and Guyana, the situation is further complicated by ethnic niches created within departments of the public service or in private enterprise. For example, in Trinidad, the police service remains largely African while Customs is largely Indian, One group which is often discriminated against as a result of their ethnicity is the First People. Amerindian groups in Belize, Guyana, Dominica and in some of the other islands often struggle against the norms and values of Creole society and consider that their way of life is not treated with the same respect and consideration as larger groups. Their demand for reparations are often ignored and land rights are not respected by Caribbean governments. It is generally accepted that Amerindians are the group most discriminated against in Caribbean society.(iv) ®) wi) (vii) eRolic -(Religion — Creedistiis not regarded as a significant issue in much of the Caribbean although adherents of particular religious groups have become more strident in their demands for equality. Apart from the competition for cultural space in the societies of Trinidad and Guyana, across the Caribbean Afro- i ns are often not given the same rights and privileges as more traditional churches. This applies for example to Rastafarians, Spiritual Baptists and Myalism. Sexiial“rieitation?— The Caribbean has acquired a global reputation for homophobia largely since nineteenth century laws which criminalise homosexual behaviour still exist. Caribbean society is officially intolerant of homosexuality although underground homosexual communities exist in every society. This situation is slowly changing and cases challenging these laws have been brought in Jamaica and at the Caribbean Court of Justice. However, sexual orientation remains one area which is not protected from discrimination and homosexuals are liable to dismissal, persecution and harassment. {he 'disabled?- The mercantilist nature of Caribbean society has made it difficult for disabled persons (physically and mentally) to contribute to society because they are seen as liabilities. Few societies make provision for disabled persons and there are no laws to discourage discrimination. The facilities for the mentally challenged are particularly bad especially in societies that are lacking in resources. brutality:-»Police brutality continues to be a problem in many Caribbean territories notably in Guyana, TT, Jamaica and St. Lucia. Extra judicial police killings occur in nearly every jurisdiction and the authorities are unable or unwilling to deal with the issue. Police Complaint Authority Boards have been set up in many jurisdictions but often find themselves helpless since neither the political authorities nor the police commanders are willing to pursue cases. The police themselves are often frustrated by their low salaries and poor working conditions, the corruption and mismanagement of their seniors and the political directorate, the lack of resources they have to tackle crime’ and the outright hostility they face from the general population.We @) Indicators of Development affected by breaches of social justice o (i) Gi) Gy) (Levels of, social: inequality. «Inequalityin»society, as measured by the Gini coefficient, impact:on: development:in’ thatthe: ireaer the:inequality, the Jower:the» ‘levels if developments: Inequality prevents. persons; from: participating in.national life it: generates social unrest and leads to'the ‘disempowerment“of people. If social inequality is a consequence of discrimination, then groups in society will not be fully participating in the development of the society. For example, if the children of Rastafarians are denied entry to the better primary and secondary schools, the potential of these children are denied to the society and the cycle of poverty may be continued. This is especially true for the Amerindian populations of Guyana and Belize who are not perceived as contributing in a significant way to the development of the society and who remain at the bottom of the system of social stratification. Broductivity: levels — Discriminatiom;prevents”groups:in:societysfrom making:a’full ‘Contribution torecbiioriig rawtinana developinenit!-This is especially true:for'wonken -whio‘cotitprise halfof.the’populatioi’ but Who;:f0r-various reasonsy-are not allowed full »participation.in:thedobomarketsParticular ethnic groups e.g. Amerindians, Maroons, Rastafarians have the capacity to convert their material culture (food, dress, art, music) into productive areas for tourist and national consumption. Older persons because of forced retirement and age discrimination are often not allowed to continue to contribute to national development although they have the experience ‘and the capacity to do so. fife’ — Discrimination-inipactsonegativelys:on.:thescqualityofislife tindividuals:as, well-as,on their, dependents::Gender. discrimination, creates:a. cycle-o poyertysfor'thé:childfen’ oF poor womens: Momosexuals\are:often:forced:to:migratéto otlié#'touintries'e.g. Marlon James, Man Booker prize winner for 2015. Some persons in order to escape ethnic discrimination try to lighten their skin or change their religion, Deinbcratic: rights hese are:detetmined:by electoral processes, civil liberties; the functioning.»,of:, government; political: participation "and. political:culture: Diseriviination’ limits the’ iivolWement® Gf.’soine” groups “in “the :politicalprécess especially women, the disabled, homosexuals, and some ethnic groups. This can eventually result in a loss of freedom and self-determination in the entire society.