City of God context material

City of God context material

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Causes of violence in Rio de Janeiro are multi-faceted. High levels of inequality and physical, social and economic exclusion from the formal system are some of the principle causes. This combines with cultural factors such as machismo and the draw of perceived higher social status and identity through joining gangs. The availability of guns, cocaine and the marijuana industry exacerbates the problem. The lack of an integrated public security strategy coupled with a violent and corrupt police, and a judiciary and prison system which is ineffective, are also contributing factors. The political and economic history of Brazil has played a part: the transition from dictatorship to democracy; rapid and unplanned urbanization; and shifts in labour market requirements to higher skill levels to meet new demands, resulting in high unemployment and frustration felt by those with some education but insufficient to secure a job in the formal economy.

Perpetrators and victims of armed violence in Rio de Janeiro are primarily the police, drug traffickers (mainly young men of 14-29 years old), and civilians caught in the crossfire. Favelas1 are the main locations of gun violence but criminal violence does occur in other parts of the city. The principle type of armed violence is organised drug gang fighting for territorial control; police use of arms; armed robbery and petty crime.

Conclusions in relation to armed violence and poverty / social exclusion in Rio:

• Rio is one of the wealthiest cities in Brazil. However the extreme inequality and social exclusion of a significant proportion of the population stands out as one of the major fault lines and a cause of violence.

• The presence of firearms, especially amongst drug traffickers in favelas is the biggest cause of firearm homicide.

• The residents of favelas are stigmatized both in terms of location of residence and colour.

• The favelas are illegal settlements which have made the state largely ignore them as areas of the city. This lack of state presence has made them more susceptible to the de facto control by drug factions, which in turn makes it harder for development to take place and limits outsiders entering, whether these are businesses or development/violence control or prevention projects.

• In terms of income, the residents of favelas are not necessarily below the poverty line. However their relative poverty lies in their vulnerability and social exclusion.

• In 1995 the city of Rio spent 5 per cent of GDP on combating violence (excluding private security).

• The most relevant MDG in relation to Rio is education (63 per cent of favela residents in the Municipality of Rio have not achieved a primary certificate – i.e. less than 8 years of education).

• The culture of machismo creates a climate in which violence is seen as a norm, contributing to incidents of violence. This is evident in the prevalence of domestic violence against women and men’s desire to join drug gangs, seeing guns as a source of power and identity.

• Favelas are often built on environmentally protected land, which used to be forests. They are characteristically on steep slopes above the city, which makes them vulnerable to mud slides in heavy rain. This adds to the legislative difficulty of granting the land to the residents legally.

• Partnerships for development need to be built in the context of Brazil and Rio. Partnerships need to be built with the multiple public security forces, which do not have an integrated policy to combat violence.

1 A favela is defined by Rio city government’s complementary law no. 16 of 1992, as: “A predominantly residential area, characterized by occupation of the land by low-income populations, precariousness of urban infrastructure and public services, narrow and irregularly aligned roads or passage-ways, plots of irregular form and size, and unlicensed constructions that do not conform to legal standards”.