Social rights are frequently viewed exclusively as demands for equality, and even more, in contradiction with individual freedom. In opposition to this, in this essay, I propose a freedom-based justification of social rights. Firstly, from the perspective of the theory of recognition, I examine in what sense experiences of social injustice may be considered as unjustified restrictions of freedom. In this light I discuss then two models of justification of social rights, the first one focused on the idea of a private autonomy of citizens, and the second one focused on the idea of a public autonomy of citizens. Finally, I propose a justification of welfare rights in view of the possibility of cooperative forms of freedom.