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Latest News
  • [ January 13, 2026 ] 10 Years Since the Rio Olympics: Vila Autódromo Continues to Resist Gentrification Pressures Amidst New ‘Olympic Barra’ Neighborhood #EvictionsWatch
  • [ January 8, 2026 ] COP30 Civil Society Rundown: Thousands of Communities and Social Movements, Representing Favelas, Indigenous, Quilombola and Other Marginalized Groups Fill Belém During COP30 [IMAGES] *Highlight
  • [ December 31, 2025 ] ‘What We Want Aren’t Bodies on the Ground… It’s Recognition of [Our] People Creating Solutions’: Penha Favelas Hold Composters and Integrated Health Events Highlighting Local Climate Memories *Highlight
  • [ December 26, 2025 ] 2025 Retrospective of Top International Reporting on Rio’s Favelas #MediaWatch
  • [ December 24, 2025 ] ‘No One in Terra Firme Will Sleep Hungry Today!’ Amid Adversity, Belém Favela Initiatives Distribute 2,200 Meals During COP30 With Support from the People’s Summit Solidarity Kitchen *Highlight
HomeOpinion

Opinion

#ParticipationWatch

Clandestine Electrical Connections in Favelas: Theft or Distributional Justice?

By Douglas Heliodoro • Translation by Gianna Giordani • January 13, 2021

Clique aqui para Português This article is part of a series about energy justice and efficiency in Rio’s favelas. In an article for the journal Energy Research & Social Science—which was the subject of a […]

Complexo do Alemão. Photo by Bruno Itan.
#LegacyWatch

Ten Years of ‘Pacification’ in Complexo do Alemão, According to a Favela Resident [OPINION]

By Cléber Araujo • Translation by Victoria Fiore • January 8, 2021

Clique aqui para Português This is an opinion piece about the ten year anniversary of the “pacification” of Complexo do Alemão, by a local resident. On November 28, 2020, the “pacification” process of Complexo do […]

Women organize foods for distribution in Paraisópolis during the pandemic. Photo by Gloria Maria | UOL
#CoronavirusWatch

We Are All Block Captains [OPINION]

By Gilson Rodrigues • Translation by Cormac Whitney Low • May 5, 2020

Clique aqui para Português For the original article in Portuguese by Gilson Rodrigues, president of the residents’ association of São Paulo’s largest favela, Paraisópolis, published in UOL click here. This is our latest article on […]

#CoronavirusWatch

Coronavirus in Daily Life of Favelas, Part 7: Turano Resident Unmasks the Pandemic’s Structural Racism

By Paulo Jorge Gomes Pereira • Translation by Edmund Ruge • May 3, 2020

Clique aqui para Português This article from Turano favela is the seventh in a series about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on daily life in the favelas. The series is made possible through a […]

#HousingWatch

Six Months to the Tokyo Olympics: 2020 is a Sinister Year for Homeless People [OPINION]

By Tetsuo Ogawa • Translation by Yuko Tonohira • January 24, 2020

The following is an op-ed by Tetsuo Ogawa, a Tokyo homeless resident and housing activist. Cross-published in collaboration with the Los Angeles-based platform KNOCK, Ogawa’s firsthand account of ongoing removals provides a close look at the […]

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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

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    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
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    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
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    • 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
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