A society that has more justice is a society that need less charity

A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity Humans are social creatures. We come together to form communities that bind us together through obligations, interests and a sense of belonging. However, not all societies are same. The rules shaping human social interactions lie on a wide spectrum determined by religion, customs, languages moral etc. Take the case of Afghanistan under Taliban. It is governed by sharia law which limit women's access to social sphere denying them justice.

United Nations even noted that maternal mortality had increased as male doctors were not allowed to treat women. This denial of justice prompts many international or personal philanthropies or charities to work for women's development in Afghanistan. on the other hand we have Norway. The country offers women all the resources they require for growth thus creating a just environment. This has increased Female labour participation rate to 73%, one of the highest in the world. Through these examples it is abundantly clear that justice & charity occupy a central place in human society. Justice, simply, is equitable access to social, political, economic resources for all members of societies & opportunity to mobilise them to increase standard & dignity of life. Charity, on the other other hand, is a targeted philanthropic intervention to address the needs of a specific section of society or to mitigate impacts of a tragedy. Take the example of transgender communities in India. They lag in literacy, health & employment indicators.

National Human Rights Commission pointed that 93% work in undignified jobs due to lack of access to resources i.e lack of justice. This has prompted foundations like Naz Foundation to work as charities for their benefit. This causality between charity and justice needs to be explored. Justice eliminates the need for charity by reducing the vulnerability that might exist due to unequal distribution of resources. For instance, world today is grappling with climate change. However, it's negative impacts are more pronounced for the Small Island Developing states than for the Developed Nations. The presence of a loss & Damage fund is a move towards climate justice and away from the system of grants. The reduced vulnerability induces a deeper psychological change. Freedom from the shackles of vulnerability leads to increase in agency & aspiration. This leads to increased will for a better life and increased access to dignity reducing the need for charity & dependence. Joseph - Armando - David highlight how unconditional cash transfers in global south increased people's access to basic amenities of life creating a just environment. Not just agency and aspirations, a just society creates the avenues to utilise these too. A just society ensures that opportunities to achieve a better life are created for it's members. Through this is reduces the need of external intervention through charity. The reservation provided by Indian constitution for scheduled caste, scheduled tribes in higher education, employment and politics is a case in point.

These opportunities & their utilisation induce a chain reaction in society. A just society through it's efforts leads to creation of chain of prosperity where-by members empower each other and reduce the negative externalities. This creates a virtuos cycle in a society. A just society thus produces self sustaining conditions for continued justice. Since the members are empowering each other through natural order their dependence on a messiah is reduced. Take the case of India's journey in increasing access of healthcare facilities to pregnant women. Through interventions like ASHA program, PM Matru Vandan Yojana, POSHAN Abhiyan etc India increased institutional deliveries from 78% to 90% in 20 years along with reduced Maternal mortality rate. This has led to what Pandit Nehru would term awakening of women which will awaken the family & the nation. This chain, however, depends on a society's ability to demand a just environment. A just society does not only create a chain of prosperity it empowers the members to identify the lacunaes that exist and provides them with the tools required to fix these short comings. This power given to members of a society eliminate the need for looking elsewhere for help. For example, Mazdoor Kisaan sashaktikaran sangathan rallied people to ask for Right to Information regarding what there government is doing. This resulted in the implementation of the RTI Act 2005. This movement highlighted that the road to justice - a complete one - is a long one. While on this journey there may exist instances where charity exists independently of justice.

While on this journey there may exist instances where charity exists independently of justice. Sometimes negative externalities - predictable or unforeseen - throw even a just society into chaos. Though the ethos of justice might exist the society loses ability to implement it. It is in these cases that charity comes in to fill the gap. India's help to South-East Asian Nations post Cyclone Yagi or helping in rebuilding post a devastating earthquake struck Turkey are the cases where charity momentarily replaced justice. But it is not only a sudden absence of justice that prompts need for charity sometimes both co-exist.