HOW HRSJ 5250: RISK, PLACE, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN A TURBULENT WORLD HAS BEEN ABLE TO HELP ME DEMONSTRATE KNOWLEDGE, OF KEY HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES LOCALLY, NATIONALLY, AND/OR GLOBALLY.
The course has been very helpful in understanding human rights and social justice issues. It is social injustice to see some people living in awful conditions due to a lack of decent housing. Some even do not have a place to call home. This situation impacts people globally but in Canada, this issue has been prevalent, and the government needs to act. There is an issue with housing as the available houses cannot satisfy the current population. The government should come up with policies for building houses where people who are unable to afford rent due to various circumstances such as being sick or disabled can reside. People’s capability is different. Upon building enough houses, they should ensure that their policies are effective to house genuine people.
Access to safe water is a global concern affecting people across the world. Unfortunately, residential areas are often segregated based on economic status, with those earning less living in areas with unsafe water, while those with more income have access to clean water. This treatment is unjust and disregards the inherent value of every life, regardless of wealth. All individuals deserve equal access to basic resources, and this should be reflected in a fair distribution of clean water.
Improper disposal of toxic waste is a critical global issue that violates human rights. When toxic materials, such as medical products or radioactive substances, are disposed of in the environment, people’s lives are at risk. These hazardous wastes can cause severe health problems, including cancer and liver diseases. Therefore, the government must implement strict measures to prevent individuals and industries from disposing of these wastes. Although there are existent laws on how the issue should be dealt with, they have not been enforced satisfactorily.
My final project has made me proud because it has brought out important information on how individuals and government agencies can have public health free of inequities and biases. In Canada, I have found that some populations such as the First Nations are at a greater risk when trying to access healthcare services. They are in disadvantaged situations that make it hard to receive healthcare effectively and they include financial constraints and less education among others. The government has been making efforts to make healthcare free, but this is yet to be fulfilled. Therefore, the families of the affected find it hard to adequately provide care to their loved ones. In addition, the health facilities in their vicinity are not as well equipped as those in areas where the financially stable live.
Social determinants of health are a good solution to ending the risks that people have been exposed to in Canada and other parts of the world. Social determinants of health refer to the conditions that people face at one point in their lifetime, and they include poverty, gender, and education level. To ensure fairness and equality in healthcare, it is imperative that every person in the population is taken into consideration during planning, to ensure that no one is left behind or prevented from accessing necessary care due to their situation.
On social determinants of health, nobody should be neglected because they are different from others. LGBTQI+ people also must be considered and respected. Some fear coming out and expressing their health issues by fearing to be judged. If everybody in a country feels and can access the care they require for their health, the country will have met its objective of ensuring healthcare equality.