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Latest News
  • [ May 15, 2026 ] Complex and Intelligent, the Favela Has Its Own Geography Favela Qualities
  • [ May 14, 2026 ] ‘This Is Where My Life Began:’ Residents of Santa Teresa Occupation Claim Right to Stay in Talks With Federal Heritage Secretariat #EvictionsWatch
  • [ May 13, 2026 ] 10 Years After Rio’s Most Notorious Pre-Olympic Forced Eviction, Women-Led Collective Action Preserves the Memory of Vila Autódromo #LegacyWatch
  • [ May 9, 2026 ] Data Centers, AI and the Social Costs for Rio de Janeiro: What Does It Mean in Practice to Become a Big Tech Hub? [EDITORIAL] #LegacyWatch
  • [ April 28, 2026 ] The Who and Why of Sustainability: Without Retraining, Waste Pickers Have Been on Losing End of Greenwashing 14 Years After Closing of ‘Waste Land’ Dump *Highlight
HomeOpinion

Opinion

*Highlight

‘In Rio de Janeiro, the Militia Isn’t a Parallel Power. It’s the Government.’ [INTERVIEW]

By Mariana Simões • Translation by Gabriel Martins • March 12, 2019

Clique aqui para Português For the original article in Portuguese by Mariana Simões published by Agência Pública click here. In the following interview, a sociologist who has studied Rio de Janeiro’s [vigilante off-duty police] militias for 26 […]

*Highlight

‘My Father Entered the Drug Trade So I Could Become a Lawyer’ [OPINION]

By Joel Luiz Costa • Translation by Sarah Jacobs • January 17, 2019

Clique aqui para Português For the original article in Portuguese by Joel Luiz Costa published by The Intercept Brasil click here. I was born in Jacarezinho, a favela in Rio’s North Zone, and raised there by […]

by Community Contributors

The Necropolitics of Rio’s New Governor, Wilson Witzel: Part 2

By Fabio Leon • Translation by Gabriel Martins • January 4, 2019

Clique aqui para Português  This article is the second in a two-part series in which representatives and residents of the Baixada Fluminense region of Greater Rio de Janeiro analyze the security policy tendencies of Governor […]

*Highlight

Want to Do Something About Fake News? Accept New Narratives and Aesthetics on Your Timeline

By Thainã de Medeiros • Translation by Cheyne Bull • November 24, 2018

Clique aqui para Português This text was originally published by Thainã de Medeiros on his Facebook profile. You guys are really cool and smart and all that… but I have good reason to suspect that most of you […]

#CommunityMedia

Some on the Right, Some on the Left: Favela Residents Get the Short End of the Stick [OPINION]

By Michel Silva • Translation by Sharon Gogar • October 18, 2018

Clique aqui para Português For the original article in Portuguese by Michel Silva published by Favela em Pauta, click here. It hasn’t been easy to understand the polarization of Brazilian political debate in recent years. Recently, […]

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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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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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    • Highlighted Stories
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  • Communities
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  • Policies
    • Public Security
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    • Health
    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
    • Housing Rights
    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
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    • Resistance
    • Sustainability
    • Participation
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    • Culture
    • Responsible Tourism
  • Content Map
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    • by Int’l Observers
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      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
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