Definition:
Safeguarding rhetoric misuse is the invocation of protective language to justify restriction, surveillance, exclusion, or coercive intervention.
Usage Context:
Seen in mental health services, disability support, public space regulation, platform moderation, and policy decisions affecting marginalised groups.
Critical Note:
By framing harm as protection, safeguarding rhetoric disarms critique. Those subjected to control are positioned as ungrateful or unsafe if they resist.