DIFFERENT FACES OF SECURITY PERCEPTIONS OF THE HUMAN SECURITY CONCEPT

Abstract

The perception of safety is a very individual feeling although it is the standard and the level of living that undoubtedly affect various fears and threats appearing in rich and poor societies. The aim of this article is to compare attitudes towards safety and its perception by people living aside, but in completely different social and economic conditions. Both South and North Koreas are historically very close to each other yet, totally different conditions of living on both sides of the Korean Peninsula make safety quite opposite notions. The residents of the Brasilian districts of poverty and crime, infamous favelas, live in a world where being a member of a gang ensures safety. For other inhabitants of Brasil and tourists, security means staying as far away as possible from favelados i.e., the residents of poor districts. For determined African refugees, Europe seems to be a safety heaven and even the risk of losing their lives on the long and most dangerous route to Europe is worth taking. However, for many Europeans their safety ends with the influx of immigrants.