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emergency efforts directed towards war and conflict-torn regions, but also has a
view towards prevention. Without recognizing the diversity of human security,
measures to promote it will remain insufficient, and security voids will continue
to exist, leading to increased violence and conflict and war which is then 'res-
cued' (or at least attempted to do so) by human security programmes. In sum, a
number of key points can be drawn out:
•
Security defined by those who are least secure or in non-dominant posi-
tions, not only elites, should be included in security discourses.
•
Feminisms, including Western, non-Western and indigenous feminisms,
offer powerful arguments articulating the voices of the insecure, and
deserve to be heard and responded to by mainstream sources.
•
Security is a multi-dimensional, dynamic, fluid process, always in flux.
•
A broadened security agenda increases awareness with a sight to preven-
tion, instead of attending to insecurity at its most extreme.
•
The 'us-them' polarization creates inequality, exacerbates insecurity and
ignores the diverse sources and features of insecurity and security.
•
The human security agenda can be a shared orientation/attitude by a vari-
ety of policy groups and networks, implemented across and within policy
frameworks by both state and non-state actors, cooperating and merg-
ing shared foci while retaining independence specific to each individual
policy framework.
Current definitions of security force us to render many insecurities as secure
because we judge them in relation to severe or extreme insecurities that
clearly demand and deserve attention. Ignoring the diversity of insecurities,
however, often results in the very extreme insecurities we must rush to stop
because they have escalated beyond our 'acceptable' levels. To refer to a very
recent example, the issue of rape appeared to be on the brink of finally being
recognized globally for the gross danger that it presents to women, families
and society. Early in 2013 when brutal incidences of rape, from India to the
USA and Canada, were being reported, there were calls for changes in social
raising the question about how severe or extreme insecurity is defined (only
by machine guns that threaten men?) and how far it must go before local,
national and global responses are really mobilized. But human security is not
just about meeting threats early (or better late than never as in the case of
rape). It is also recognizing when processes of security production are work-
ing, at least on some levels. Cooperation, dialogue and designing open and
inclusive structures of governance including state and non-state actors that
reflect the priorities and values of their constituent communities go a long
way towards creating environments of security where individuals and com-
munities can thrive. Human security and insecurity therefore are relevant
across the globe, in the South and the North, and need responses that are
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