Rio De Janeiro's Favelas Under Scrutiny After Brazil Wins Olympic Bid

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - DECEMBER 07: A teenager enjoys his music in recently 'pacified' Santa Marta, one of Rio's oldest slums, or favela on December 7, 2009 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Santa Marta is one of a number of favelas in Rio where the police are attempting a softer touch by participating in community policing after they clear the area of drug gangs. Police are believed to want to continue with these programs citywide ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games. As Brazil prepares to host the 2016 Summer Olympics international scrutiny is falling on Rio de Janeiro's favelas where over 5,000 people were murdered last year alone. In the last week violence in tourist areas has increased as drug gangs are progressively reacting to a growing police presence in the favelas. In figures released Tuesday by the IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica) statistics agency it was found that an average of 68 young Brazilian men died violently each day between 1998 and 2008. These numbers included murder, traffic accidents and gang violence involving the police.

0 Comments