Defining Human Security: Understanding the Pathways of Violence
by Broden Halcrow-Ducharme

Human security means being safe from harm and free from fear. It is about more than just protection from violence or danger. It is the right to live without constant worry, to belong, and to have the freedom to be who you are. In Canada, safety is often talked about as something everyone has, but for many Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, safety has never been guaranteed.

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Generations of Indigenous families have carried the weight of harm that did not begin with them. The roots of this imbalance reach back through colonization, residential schools, and forced displacement. Families were separated, languages were lost, and connections to the land were broken. These experiences created cycles of trauma that continue to shape life today.

 

When poverty, racism, and inequality come together, they create conditions that make people unsafe. These pathways to violence can take many forms, from the loss of housing or work to the fear of being unheard when asking for help. True safety is not only freedom from harm but also the presence of dignity and care.

 

Human security begins with the right to live free from fear and free from want. It means being safe at home, in your community, and in your identity. For Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, it means being able to live without discrimination, to speak their language, to practice culture, and to stay connected to their families and land. Real safety does not come from control or punishment. It grows from trust, balance, and respect.

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Safety also depends on having the basic things that every person deserves. Housing, clean water, food, health care, and meaningful work are not privileges. They are the roots of well-being. Without them, people are forced to focus on survival instead of living fully, and the cycle of harm continues.

 

Creating human security means moving away from punishment and toward prevention. It means building systems that care, not control. Indigenous teachings remind us that safety is about connection with people, the land, and the spirit. Healing begins when these connections are rebuilt and when communities are supported to lead their own way forward.

Human security asks us to look at safety differently. It is not measured by laws or authority but by the well-being of people. It exists when everyone can live without fear, when voices are heard, and when culture and identity are respected. True safety lives in community, in the care we give to one another and in the promise that no one should ever have to face harm alone.

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