Diversity Dates
- International World Day of Social Justice – February 20
Social Equality Justice day is a day recognizing the need to promote efforts to tackle issues such as poverty, exclusion and unemployment. Many organisations, including the UN, American Library Association, and the International Labour Office, make statements on the importance of social justice for people. What is social justice? Social justice refers in general to the idea of building a society based on principles of equity and non-discrimination that understands and values human rights.
- International Women’s Day – March 8
International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
- Harmony Day – March 21
The continuing message of Harmony Day is Everyone Belongs, which means all Australians are a welcome part of our country, regardless of their background.
- International Transgender Day of Visibility - March 31
A day to celebrate transgender people around the globe and the courage it takes to live openly and authentically, while also raising awareness around the discrimination trans people still face.
- IDAHOBIT Day - May 17
The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia celebrates LGBTIQ people globally and raises awareness of the difficulties that people of diverse sexual and gender identities face every day.
- Global Accessibilty Awareness Day - 20 May
- A day to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion, and the more than one billion people with disabilities/impairments.
- International World Refugee Day – June 20
A refugee is someone who lives outside their country because of fear of punishment or persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, and cannot be protected by their home government.
- International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples – August 9
Today, many Indigenous people live on the fringes of society and are deprived of basic human rights, particularly cultural rights, due to dispossession and displacement from their land. Aboriginal Australians are now fighting for the right to be recognised as Australia's First People in the constitution and Western Sydney University supports that fight.
- International Youth Day – August 12
There are 1.2 billion youth aged 15-24 in the world today. IYD provides an opportunity for the world to recognize the potential of youth, to celebrate their achievements, and plan for ways to better engage young people to successfully take action in the development of their societies.
- Wear It Purple Day– August 29
This day is an opportunity to demonstrate to young people that they all have a right to be proud of who they are and that sex, sexuality and gender identity does not change this. Starting in Australia by two school students, the event has now grown to an international phenomenon encouraging the simple act of wearing the colour purple to show our sex, sexuality and gender diverse individuals that diversity is valued and everyone deserves to be included.
- International Day of Peace – September 21
The main objective of Peace Day is to provide an opportunity for individuals and organisations to promote peace across the world.
- International Day of Mental Health – October 10
In Australia nearly half (45%) of the population will experience a mental disorder at some stage in their lives. Mental illness affects in particular young people. At least one third of young people have had an episode of mental illness by the age of 25 years.
- International Anti-Poverty Day – October 17
The day was first celebrated in 1987 by thousands of participants who gathered at the Human Rights Plaza in Paris, France, to honour the victims of poverty, hunger and violence and was recognised by the United Nations in 1992.
- International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women – November 25
You can do something to help prevent violence against women. Everyone can - promote gender equality, challenge stereotypes and sexist attitudes, speak out if you hear excuses for violence or victim blaming, spread the word that violence is never an option or a solution and there is NO excuse for it.
- International Day of People with Disability – December 3
This United Nations sanctioned day is celebrated internationally. It aims to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability and celebrate their achievements and contributions. Four million Australians have a disability; that is 1 in 5 people. Disability can be obvious or hidden, it can be major or minor and it is not unusual for people to have more than one disability.
- International Human Rights Day – December 10
This day celebrates the fundamental principle that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.