Safety as a human right – collective aspect  in statement with individual aspect

Safety is widely understood as a natural human right and has numerous guarantees in international legal acts and in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. As a concept, it has a wide range and many aspects, which makes it difficult to clearly define. Its range includes diverse spheres of individual and social life. In the era of intense interpenetration of private and public life, safety in the individual dimension clashes with its collective aspect. Both public safety and private security are not absolute goods, and the Constitution provides possibility of limiting them. The purpose of the article is whether and to what extent the entity’s ability to use the right to security is affected by restrictions on the use of freedom and constitutional rights, including private security, as provided in art. 31 para. 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland for protection, among others public safety and public order.

The article presents main assumptions about self-defence, particularly trainings aimed at educating women, with special focus on actions initiated by the City Guard in Toruń. The Jestem bezpieczna [I Am Safe] self-defence courses for women, organized since 2006, are an important element in strengthening individual security of female residents of Toruń. Although at times such courses are subject to criticism, they have their undeniable advantages, which are specified in this article.