"Feminist Connecting for Peace" magazine 2: Editorial: What does security mean to you?

What does security mean to you? Which people, places, sounds and senses make you feel safe? What is threatening your safety? These questions are central in discussions within our global network of feminist peace activists. Therefore, we chose to focus on safety and security for this second edition of the «Feminists Connecting for Peace» magazine.

Dear reader,

What does security mean to you? Which people, places, sounds and senses make you feel safe? What is threatening your safety? These questions are central in many discussions within our global network of feminist peace activists. Therefore, we chose to focus on safety and security for this second edition of the «Feminists Connecting for Peace» magazine.

Security is a relevant topic for all of us. However, it can take on very different meanings depending on the context, political or economic interests, and on who holds the power to define security. Particularly women, LGBTQIA+ people and racialized individuals face security threats and lack of safety every day. In times of armed or political conflict, incidents of violence and discrimination increase. 

Discussions about security and safety often have a strong focus on military and/or police. Security is generally directly related to armament, increased numbers of officers, surveillance technology, weapons production and distribution. As a feminist peace organization, we are strongly opposed to this concept of security as the only possible option to build secure societies. Rather than creating safety, militarized security often endangers and kills people. In pursuing a feminist vision of peace, our approach to security centers on the people affected by violence and insecurity. We take a hard look at how security is created and ask: Security for whom? By which means? What are the long-term consequences of increased militarization in the name of security? Who benefits from today’s security politics?

In this publication, feminist peace activists from around the world have their say. They describe what safety and security mean in their contexts and share stories from their countries and lives. They also make demands and propose strategies to reach genuine security for all.

We wish you an interesting read!

A note on terminology: In English, safety and security describe two different things: Safety refers to the condition, where people are protected from threats and dangers and the wellbeing of all is guaranteed. Security, in turn, means to protect people from danger. This differentiation does not exist in German and in many other languages, however, it is important to understand the difference for the understanding of the articles of this publication.

Read the full magazine