ÈÍÒÅËÐÎÑ > Vol. 5, No 4. 2015 > Insecurity and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

Inés Bustillo and Halvia Velloso
Insecurity and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean


14 äåêàáðÿ 2015

In the last decades, the concept of security has come to acquire new dimensions. A new vision of security relating to the nation-state now incorporates dimensions of security centered on individuals, a concept that has come to be known as human security. Chronic threats like hunger, disease, and repression, or protection from sudden and painful changes in daily life, be it in the workplace or in the community, today form part of this new vision of security. Since the term was introduced in the 1994 Human Development Report, focusing on freedom from fear and freedom from want, its reach has expanded. A 2012 United Nations Resolution described human security as “the right of people to live in freedom and dignity, free from poverty and despair.” While important efforts have been undertaken by the international community to identify and define the main components of human security, given its multidimensional nature, no single accepted operational definition exits. Security encompasses economic, social, political, and safety components allowing for a life free from fear and risk. Over the last decade Latin America and the Caribbean have made considerable progress in the economic and social development dimensions of human security, with important gains in poverty and inequality reduction. However, vulnerability to crime and violence increased, to such an extent that opinion polls identify them among the region’s top problems. Crime and violence are increasingly recognized as serious obstacles to social and human capital formation and sustainable economic development. Insecurity has become a shared challenge that hampers development in Latin America and the Caribbean.


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