Ottawa_Charter_Promotes_Social_Justice

The Ottawa Charter and its five action areas promote the principle of social justice. The charter aims to build a positive approach towards health for all members of society through the five action areas. Social justice is a primary principle of the Ottawa charter as it aims to communicate equal opportunities and enable Australians to achieve their fullest health potential. Through the Ottawa charter, social justice is promoted. The Ottawa charter is the scaffolding of healthy promotion all throughout the world. The Charter was developed after a conference on health promotion in Ottawa, Canada, in 1986. It is a policy that aims to create apositive approach to health throughout the world. In the charter there are five main action areas that are followed to promote healthy living. They come under the subheadings of: Developing personal skill, Creative supportive environments, Strengthening community action, Reorienting health services and Building healthy public policy. These five action area all promote social justice. Social Justice promotes the Ottawa Charter as it aims to address unfairness and encourage society to lead a full and healthy lifestyle. The four principles of social justice are equity, access, participation and rights and through these principles inequity and supportive environments are what is aimed to be achieved. Social justice is aimed at the disadvantaged, reducing the gap that exists is our population and improve the health of the population as a whole. Through this social justice can be seen to promote the Ottawa Charter. The first action area of the Ottawa charter is Developing personal skills. This area increases the options available so that society can have more control of their lives and make healthier decisions. Developing personal skills involves the support to people and their social development by providing them with information, education and helps improve their life skills. An example of this action area is Road safety advertisements such as the “No one thinks big of you” campaign. Social justice can be recognized as it aspires to reduce the number of road deaths and decrease road dangers to everyone, therefore reducing the gap and giving the right to people to feel safe in their environments. As a result Social justice and the first action area of the Ottawa charter are linked together and social justice is promoted. To create supportive environments is the second action area to the Ottawa charter. This area involves creating societies that take care of each other, their communities and also their surrounding environment. It also aims to generate safe and enjoyable living and working conditions. Access to councilors at school is an example of creating a supportive environment as this is supporting and taking care of others in the community. Social justice is aimed to entitle all of society to lead and healthy lifestyle and to be able to access help when needed. This therefore recognizes that social justice and the Ottawa charter fall hand in hand with each other. Social justice and the third action area of the Ottawa charter, Strengthening community action, make obvious that the Ottawa Charter does promote social justice. Strengthening community action involves identifying and implementing actions about health concerns. It requires strengthening public participation and direction of health matters. This requires complete access to health information, learning opportunities and health funding support. An example of this is Qnet. This is a free website that was developed in a community in Canberra. It provides a safe place for same-sex attracted youth where they can get support on their issues and problems. This is providing advice and information so these youth can feel equal and accepted. These are also characteristics of social justice and therefore again shows that the Ottawa Charter and social justice are linked closely together. Reorient health service is the fourth area of the Ottawa charter. This involves moving away from regular health procedures such as diagnose, treatment and rehabilitation and focusing on preventing, promoting and supporting the well-being of our society. An example of this action area is Jump Rope for heart, a program that informs and makes aware of the consequences of unhealthy poor living. This results in the prevention of an unhealthy lifestyle. Through this example, (Jump Rope for heart), social justice can be evident since a principle of social justice is the improvement of the well-being and health of society. Therefore the Ottawa Charter can be seen to promote social justice. The fifth and final action area of the Ottawa Charter is Building health public policy. This area goes beyond health care and is where laws by government and by organizations are made to improve the health of society. These actions lead to health, income and social policies that result in higher equity. As a result they ensure safer and healthier goods and services, healthier public services and cleaner, more enjoyable environments. Social justice can also be seen to link together with The Ottawa charter from this action area, since as a result of these policies equality is made and that is a principle of social justice. An example of this is legislation on occupational health and safety in the workplace. This in incorporates the health and wellbeing of workers that gives them a happier and safer workplace. This another judgment that makes visible that the Ottawa charter promotes social justice. The Ottawa charter and social justice are closely linked together. As a result of the evidence presented, it concludes that the Ottawa Charter promotes social justice. As a result of success from the Ottawa Charter it can be seen that social justice is formed. So in conclusion from this it can be seen that the Ottawa Charter does promote social justice.