Page 9 - Empowerment and Protection - Conclusions Chapter

violent political divisions within the Palestinian community, which further undermine human insecurity.
The convoluted, multi-layered framework of international law, Israeli military law, and domestic policy that governs Palestinian life creates the effect of a lack of governance or order. The complex situation in the Palestinian territories reveals gaps in the system of international law, the vulnerabilities of living under hostile occupation without a state
of one’s own, and the weakness of an incapacitated and divided domestic authority. The international community, Israeli military law, and Palestinian national leadership are often in conflict and have largely failed to ensure the dignity, economic wellbeing, or even survival of average civilians. As
a result, many individuals report a growing sense of futility and disempowerment.
Social movements have been sources of profound citizen empowerment that can change government policy.
People’s empowerment
In their influential 2003 report Human Security Now, Amartya Sen and Sadako Ogata introduced the protection/empowerment framework distinct to human security. Protection strategies are top-down practices by the state and other external actors that shield people from threats they cannot overcome on their own. Citizen empowerment reflects the agency of everyday people in ensuring their own security. “Empowerment strategies enable people to develop their resilience to difficult conditions,” write Sen and Ogata. “People empowered can demand respect for their dignity when it is violated. They can create new opportunities for work and address many problems locally. And they can mobilise for the security of others.”1
Respondents across the six contexts presented demonstrate a range of empowerment strategies – from individual pursuit of equal rights to collective action. Some of these depend upon protection
from the state or recourse to external authorities, such as NGOs and international organisations. Ideally, they require a degree of political freedom, where challenging or contesting the ruling powers is possible. As Sen and Ogata write: “Protection and empowerment are mutually reinforcing. People protected can exercise many choices.
And people empowered can avoid some risks and demand improvements in the system of protection.”2
Rights and literacy
The existence of a legal framework or other mechanisms for recourse to legal or community action supports citizen empowerment. In Ukraine, some respondents found that they can protect themselves from abuse by state actors when they are educated and demand their rights. Citizens
can force state actors to be more accountable
when they are informed about the laws and are empowered to demand their own fair treatment and protection from the authorities. In Afghanistan, several respondents refer to human rights and literacy as key sources of empowerment and individual and collective security. Literacy is also mentioned by several respondents as an important component of human security in the context of being protected by an educated society. Societies can become collectively empowered. As a professor in Kabul says: “People now have a sense of what their rights are, so if something happens, you know you can go to the many independent agencies to file a complaint and get help.”
Including citizens in policymaking
Governments can facilitate citizen empowerment by inviting their participation in policy-making. President Calderon’s invitation to Mexican civil society for collaboration on security issues in Ciudad Juárez resulted in the civil-government security partnership Mesa de seguridad. The result of this long-term multi-stakeholder dialogue was an agenda to demilitarise the government’s security strategy. It began to address deficiencies in the legal and enforcement system, while increasing the participation of citizens in local city government.
Social movements
Other citizen empowerment strategies increase human security by transforming social relationships outside of the formal state, thus developing greater social cohesion, trust, and power. Such movements are less dependent upon external authorities
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