Social Justice Calendar
January 2nd, 2014 | Published in Favorites, Social justice
The entries in this social justice calendar have come from several sources. They are mostly recognised internationally, but some are specific to Australia. The calendar is a work-in-progress and there may, for example, be some entries for which the date varies from year to year (so do check before assuming any entry is totally reliable). Entries will be added, deleted, or modified as better information comes to hand.
(Last updated March 2020)
JANUARY
- 26 Jan: Invasion Day/Survival Day (Australia Day)
- 27 Jan: Int Holocaust Remembrance Day (for ALL victims)
FEBRUARY
- 06 Feb: Int Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation
- 12 Feb: Red Hand Day (Child Soldier Awareness)
- 20 Feb: World Day of Social Justice
MARCH
- March: Labour Day (Vic); 8 Hr Day (Tas); Canberra Day
- March: Neighbour Day (Aust; last Sunday)
- 08 Mar: Int Women’s Day
- 18 Mar (2021): National Close the Gap Day (Aust; third Thurs)
- 19 Mar (2021): Day of Action against Bullying, Violence (Aust)
- 21 Mar: Harmony Day (Aust); Int Day for Elim Racial Discrim
- 22 Mar: World Day for Water
- 24 Mar: Int Day for Right to Truth
- 31 Mar: Int Trans Day of Visibility
APRIL
- April: Sexual Assault Awareness Month
- 04 Apr: Int Day for Mine Awareness
- 07 Apr: World Health Day
- 12 Apr: Int Day for Street Children
- 21 Apr (2021): Youth Homelessness Matters Day
- 22 Apr: Int Mother Earth Day
- 28 Apr: Pay it Forward Day
- 29 Apr: Remembrance Victims Chemical Warfare
MAY
- May: Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month
- May: National Youth Week
- 01 May: Int Workers’ Day
- 02 May: Labour Day (QLD)
- 03 May: World Press Freedom Day
- 06 May (2020): Nat Domestic Violence Remembrance Day
- 17 May: Int Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
- 21 May: World Day of Cultural Diversity
- 22 May: Int Day for Biological Diversity
- 26 May: Sorry Day
- 27 May: Reconciliation Week (Aust, to 3 June)
- 28 May: Amnesty International Birthday (1961)
- 29 May: Remembrance Suicide Victims and Families
JUNE
- June: Refugee Week (Sun to Sat to include 20th)
- 03 June: Mabo Day (Aust)
- 04 June: Int Day of Children Victims of Aggression
- 05 June: World Environment Day
- 08 June: World Oceans Day
- 15 June: World Elder Abuse Day
- 17 June: World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
- 20 June: World Refugee Day
- 26 June: Int Day in Support of Victims of Torture
JULY
- July: NAIDOC Week (Aust, first full week)
- 06 July: Int Day of Cooperatives
- 14 July: Int Non-Binary People’s Day
- 18 July: Int Nelson Mandela Day (18 July 1918 to 5 December 2013)
- 25 July: Red Hat Day (Australia)
- 30 July: World Day against Trafficking in Persons
AUGUST
- August: Homelessness Prevention Week (first full week)
- August: Wear it Purple Day (sexual, gender diversity; last Fri)
- 04 Aug: NAICD (Nat. Aboriginal and Islander Children’s Day)
- 08 Aug: Dying to Know Day
- 09 Aug: Int Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
- 12 Aug: Int Youth Day
- 19 Aug: World Humanitarian Day
- 23 Aug: Int Day for Remembrance of Slave Trade and Abolition
- 23 Aug: Black Ribbon Day for Victims of Totalitarian Regimes
- 29 Aug: Int Day Against Nuclear Tests
- 30 Aug: Int Day of the Disappeared
SEPTEMBER
- September: Biodiversity Month
- September: Child Protection Week (starts Fathers’ Day)
- September: R U OK Day (second Thursday, Aust)
- September: Equal Pay Day
- 01 Sep: World Emotional Trauma Awareness Day
- 07 Sep: Endangered Species Day
- 08 Sep: Int Literacy Day
- 10 Sep: World Suicide Prevention Day
- 15 Sep: Int Day of Democracy
- 16 Sep: Int Day for Preservation Ozone Layer
- 21 Sep: Int Day of Peace; Zero Emissions Day
- 29 Sep: World Rivers Day
OCTOBER
- October: Anti-Poverty Week
- October: Mental Health Week
- October: Labour Day (ACT, NSW, SA) (first Monday)
- 01 Oct: Int Day of Older Persons
- 02 Oct: Int Day of Non-Violence
- 04 Oct: World Animal Day
- 07 Oct World Day for Decent Work
- 10 Oct: World Mental Health Day
- 10 Oct: World Day Against the Death Penalty
- 15 Oct: Int Day of Rural Women
- 16 Oct: World Food Day
- 17 Oct: Int Day for the Eradication of Poverty
- 21 Oct: Gough Whitlam died 2014 (born 11 July 1916)
- 24 Oct: Blue Knot Day (Complex Trauma)
NOVEMBER
- November: Social Justice Month
- November Int Week of Science and Peace
- November World Philosophy Day (third Thursday)
- 06 Nov: Int Day for Preventing Env Exploitation in War
- 10 Nov: World Science Day
- 16 Nov: Int Day for Tolerance
- 19 Nov: World Toilet Day
- 20 Nov: Transgender Day of Remembrance
- 20 Nov: Universal Children’s Day
- 25 Nov: Int Day Elim Violence Against Women
- 29 Nov: Int Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
- 30 Nov: Remembrance Victims Chemical Warfare
DECEMBER
- 01 Dec: World AIDS Day
- 02 Dec: Int Day for the Abolition of Slavery
- 03 Dec: Int Day of People with Disabilities
- 09 Dec: Int Anti-Corruption Day
- 10 Dec: Human Rights Day
- 20 Dec: Int Human Solidarity Day
Best Themis Blessings…Joan Beckwith
Really great social justice list. I wanted to check if you’d consider adding World Emotional Trauma Awareness Day, 1st September 2020? And Blue Knot Day 2020 – untangling the Knot of Complex Trauma? These are important areas linked directly to social justice issues.
Details below
https://www.ranzcp.org/news-policy/news/world-emotional-trauma-awareness-day
https://www.blueknot.org.au/BlueKnotDay
Blissings
Kit
Thanks, Kit. Updating the list is on my to-do list, and I can certainly add these two ‘days’ in when I do.
Brigid, I would be very happy for you to distribute the calendar to all of your suggested sites and anywhere else you think would be interested. Also to get any feedback and suggestions people have for changes and additions. Best wishes, Joan Beckwith.
Joan, this is a marvellous list. Could I ask your permission to post it in full – with due attribution to you and the site to the following sites: The Network (misseaglesnetwork.blogspot.com.au) and the Ballarat Interfaith Network blog, Beside The Creek at ballaratinterfaithnetwork.blogspot.com.au. From there I also put links onto the related facebook pages. As well, I have a Fb page – The FIE Campaign and a Twitter a/c related to that @fieOZ.
Thanks, Lorraine, and I’m hoping that now the legwork is largely done, it will be reasonably easy to update from year to year.
In relation to the second part of your comment, I am aware that you do your own bit “for the betterment of groups, communities and others” and have done over a very long time.
Best with it all for 2014, Joan Beckwith.
What a great idea, a social justice calendar 2014.
Well done Joan.
I find it inspiring to see all the work people plug away at throughout the world for the betterment of groups, communities and others.
In our current world where there is a strong emphasis on consumerism and individualism (incl. immediate family) we need to continue the struggle for an ethical stance of ‘all communities good and not just our small little tribe focus”.
regards Lorraine