OUR WORK >> BY CONCERN >> HUMAN SECURITY AND VIOLENCE

“Human security” is used as a concept to describe a complex set of inter-related security threats, to both the individual and the community. Sometimes fear stems from a struggle for political power, social inequality, natural resources and territory. Horizontal inequalities like inequalities between culturally defined communities, e.g. ethnic, religious, racial or caste-base communities, are a real concern for Pax Christi International.

It has been acknowledged that war is ten times more likely to occur where there is discrimination against ethnic communities, and state failure is five times more likely to occur where there is ethnic discrimination.

A critical issue however is to identify what makes communities take to violence, as against peaceful protest. There seem to be several reasons, but overwhelmingly the most important factor appears to be the presence of fear. It is the fear of not being able to protect ones relatives, property and own life, as well as a fear of not being able to develop oneself as an individual as a result of limited access to basic resources (e.g. food, shelter, health, education, etc.). From the moment that people feel that they have nothing to lose, the use of violence becomes more and more thinkable. Pax Christi’s concern is to prevent this from happening