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Latest News
  • [ July 23, 2026 ] Surf Legend Ricardo Bocão’s Enduring Legacy in Rocinha [OBITUARY] by Community Contributors
  • [ July 17, 2026 ] ‘Favela Tourism as Citizenship: Pathways to a Community-Based, Sustainable Model’ — Public Hearing Highlights the Potential of Community-Based Tourism in Rio de Janeiro by Community Contributors
  • [ July 16, 2026 ] In the Context of Climate Overshoot, ‘Cities Are the Crucible and Fire That Drive the Change We Need, and That Change Will be Realized Through Housing,’ Says IPCC Coordinating Lead Author *Highlight
  • [ July 14, 2026 ] ‘There Is No Climate Justice Without Adequate Housing,’ Argue Leaders at First Brazilian Housing and Climate Forum *Highlight
  • [ July 13, 2026 ] Rio de Janeiro’s ‘Milícias’—Vigilante, Off-Duty Police Gangs—Are Not a Parallel Power: They Are the State at Work [BOOK REVIEW] #UPPWatch
Home#UPPWatch

#UPPWatch

#UPPWatch

Study Finds: Militias Dominate 45% of Rio’s Favelas

By Gustavo Goulart • Translation by Emma Platais • December 7, 2013

For the original in by Gustavo Goulart in Portuguese in O Globo click here. Militias dominate 454 of the 1,001 favelas located in the Rio de Janeiro municipality. This is one of the findings of research carried […]

#UPPWatch

Confusion Over Future of the UPP Program

By Jornal do Brasil, Marco Antônio Martins • Translation by Kayla Boisvert • November 13, 2013

Rio’s favela pacification policy–whereby specially trained Military Police occupy and then establish Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) to take territorial control over communities previously controlled by drug trafficking gangs or militia–has come under increasing scrutiny in […]

#CommunityMedia

Community Photographers Observe the Pacification Operation in Lins [IMAGES]

By Luiz Baltar, Naldinho Lourenço, Ratão Diniz, Vitor Madeira • Translation by Elizabeth Gladding • October 16, 2013

This post is a contribution to Blog Action Day 2013 in which bloggers around the world reflect on this year’s theme, Human Rights. For the original by Luiz Baltar, Ratão Diniz, Vitor Madeira and Naldinho Lourenço in Portuguese in Imagens […]

#CommunityMedia

“The Governor pacified Rocinha just as in Germany. The only thing missing was a gas chamber.”

By Davison Coutinho • Translation by Harriet Batey • October 3, 2013

For the original by Davison Coutinho in Portuguese in Jornal do Brasil click here.  A community abandoned by the public sector for decades, dominated by drug trafficking, under pressure and oppressed for a lifetime. Suddenly, the dream […]

#UPPWatch

The Politics of Pacification in the Favelas

By Raull Santiago • Translation by Charlotte Livingstone • September 30, 2013

You don’t respect me as a citizen with full rights. I don’t respect your initiatives, and laws which I didn’t participate in creating. Favelas are the greatest proof that we can progress free of what […]

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RioOnWatch’s anti-racist reporting series won silver in the 2022 inaugural The Anthem Awards, in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category among Best Local Awareness Programs.
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About

In May 2010, Catalytic Communities launched what was originally Rio Olympics Neighborhood Watch (hence RioOnWatch), a program to bring visibility to favela community voices in the lead-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics. This news site, RioOnWatch.org, grew into a much-needed and unique reference featuring favela perspectives on the urban transformation of Rio. With diverse and deeply interlinked articles by a mix of community reporters, resident opinions, solidarity reporters, international observers, and academic researchers, we work to engender a more accurate picture of favelas, their contributions to the city, and the potential of favela-led community development in Rio and around the world.

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Awards

Special Thanks

Fundação Heinrich Böll Brasil
World Habitat
Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña
Pastoral de Favelas
Center for CLT Innovation
Global Land Alliance
Ecocity Builders
Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation
SDSU Behner Stiefel Center
The Rio Times
Forum Grita Baixada
Beto Paixão Graphic Design
Architecture Museum of Vienna
Yale School of Architecture

  • Home
    • Highlighted Stories
    • Understanding Rio
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  • Communities
    • Central
    • South Zone
    • North Zone
    • West Zone
    • Greater Rio
  • Policies
    • Public Security
    • Housing
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Health
    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
    • Housing Rights
    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
    • Community Solution
    • Resistance
    • Sustainability
    • Participation
    • Protest
    • Culture
    • Responsible Tourism
  • Content Map
    • by Community Contributors
    • by Int’l Observers
    • Series
      • Anti-Racist Series
      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
    • Photo-Essays
    • Interviews/Profiles
    • Research & Analysis
    • Reviews
    • Listicles
    • Opinion
    • Reference
    • Podcasts
    • Translated Articles
  • About
    • Timeline
    • Our Reporting Policy
    • License
    • Feedback
  • For Journos
  • Donate

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