Brazil: Families displaced amid rising violence in Rio’s slums

Event

As of Monday, May 15, Amnesty International recorded 87 shootouts over the previous week alone across Rio's slums (favelas), in violence which has forced many families to flee their homes. The NGO points to an increased militarization of drug cartels for territorial control of the favelas, while security forces, especially the Police Pacification Units (Unidade de Polícia Pacificadora, UPP), have demonstrated increased levels of violence during their operations.

On a related note, a recent study by the Institute of Public Security (ISP) indicates a marked rise in rates of intentional homicides, vehicle thefts, and deaths resulting from police interventions in 2017 across Rio de Janeiro.

Context

The deterioration of security conditions in Rio de Janeiro sheds light to the failure of the state's security polices, notably Rio's ''pacification'' strategy, which involves the deployment of UPPs to establish a presence in particularly crime-ridden areas of the city.

Civil society organizations and human rights groups have criticized Brazilian authorities for being complacent towards police brutality or ignoring the problem outright, with ongoing calls for the government to demilitarize the police forces. The Institute of Public Security (ISP) has reported that 120 people died as a result of police operations in the state of Rio de Janeiro in March, a 96.7 percent increase from the previous year. Amnesty International adds that some 811 people were killed by the police between January and November 2016 in the state of Rio.

Social tensions are also on the rise across the country due to the poor economic situation following the decline in commodity prices, a mounting political crisis since the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, state and business corruption scandals, and the implementation of austerity measures (impacting the police and other state bureaucracies).

Advice

Individuals present in Rio de Janeiro are advised to remain vigilant, avoid any related protests, conceal signs of wealth to avoid attracting the attention of would-be thieves, and avoid entering favelas (often located in very close proximity to more affluent neighborhoods). Keep in mind that criminals are often armed; never resist if assaulted.