Page 103 - Empowerment and Protection - Stories of Human Security

regarding human security were identiied. The concept of human security was understood as a broad issue and not limited to violence or politics or food security only. With this background in mind, interviewees were encouraged to explain what they consider human insecurity factors, be it at home, at their workplaces, or in the wider community, both collectively and individually.
Challenges faced by the interviewers
Practical challenges were often related to people’s sense of insecurity, and in some cases,
a direct result of them. Speciic issues that
were sensitive in some contexts were ethnicity, political parties, and historical references to conlict dynamics, which could not be mentioned in some of the country chapters as such. It is important to be aware of the need to be especially careful when working with local organisations in this regard. From this point of view, the studies and recommendations are primarily aimed at supporting the participating organisations to
use human security as an entry point for ‘insider strategies’ for constructive dialogue, to help
them change things from within their respective contexts.
The degree to which people were comfortable to talk about security varied, also inluencing the methods and processes to gather the results.
The process revealed the negative connotations with the word ‘security’ and misunderstandings about the purpose of the study. Evidently, the term ‘human security’ needs more explanation and has not yet ‘landed’ at the local level. This is relevant because the idea of thinking beyond traditional security paradigms can encourage people to tackle their problems differently, and deal with security issues through more collective and empowered responses. Furthermore, the issue of translations of the term into local languages and the possible change in meaning is often not considered. For instance, in Latin America, the term citizens’ security is a more widely used concept which is
in line with, but not strictly the same, as human security.
Speciic issues
that were sensitive in some contexts were ethnicity, political parties, and historical references to conlict dynamics.
To enable these discussions, it was important to create an environment where people felt they could safely express themselves, which civil society organisations that are rooted in local communities are often well-placed to do, as trust is key. This process can be seen as also indirectly contributing to awareness-raising on human security. This suggests that safe spaces are needed to debate human security issues, while ensuring the relevance of the concept in the speciic context. These challenges highlight the need for further investment into human security methodologies.
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