Insane security

Today in Argentina, every 28 hours one person dies as a victim of trigger happy, torture or the abuse of power enforced by the very same forces that are in charge of safeguarding the citizens’ safety.

Today in Argentina, every 28 hours one person dies as a victim of trigger happy, torture or the abuse of power enforced by the very same forces that are in charge of safeguarding the citizens’ safety.

Legacy of Argentina’s military regime, hushed by major media corporations which perpetuates the culture of fear and ultimately legitimated by the people’s urging need for protection, police abuse becomes a means of social control. It finds in the youngest and poorest tier of the society the perfect scapegoat of a society profoundly seared by a deep separating class crack which is unable to grant solutions to the violence this gap produces.

Most of modern democratic societies uphold the protection of physical security in their constitutions. However, there is a constant tension between the protection of this right and the real use of force by the security bodies.

In the Republic of Argentina, where the crime rate is lower compared with that of other Latin American countries, the feeling of no safety ranks among the highest across Latin America. This constant perception of danger, heightened by the media, becomes an increasing social demand on the use of force, several times lethal to diminish the country’s crime levels.

In a political, economic and social context where the culture of fear rules, the police force legitimates the systematic use of violence perpetrated in the violation of individual rights to freedom, physical security and fair justice for the civilians.