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Latest News
  • [ December 4, 2025 ] Portrait of a Centenary-Old Favela of Stilt Houses: Belém’s Vila da Barca Resists, Organizes and Fights for Sanitation and Adequate Housing #HousingWatch
  • [ November 30, 2025 ] The Story of Dona Pascoalina, Midwife and Healer of Morro do Borel by Community Contributors
  • [ November 15, 2025 ] ‘There’s No Such Thing as Normal After a Massacre’: One Week After Police Mega-Operation Kills 121 People, Residents From Complexos do Alemão and Penha Speak Out #UPPWatch
  • [ November 13, 2025 ] ‘Human Beings Forget That They Are Nature’: Favelas Teach the Path to the Future at the 2nd Favela Sustainability Festival Civil Society
  • [ November 12, 2025 ] Food Sovereignty and Culinary Heritage Connect with Fight for Climate Justice at the 2nd Sustainable Favela Festival Civil Society
Hometorture

torture

#UPPWatch

“The Trigger”: Film Depicts the Disappearance and Death of Amarildo de Souza [FILM REVIEW]

By Sarah Jacobs • June 18, 2015

Clique aqui para Português The case of Amarildo de Souza, the bricklayer who was tortured to death by the Military Police in Rocinha in 2013, made waves across Brazil and abroad. His death became a symbol […]

#UPPWatch

UPP Security Crisis As World Cup Approaches

By Felicity Clarke • May 16, 2014

Clique aqui para Português At a time when the world’s eyes are turning to Brazil, and in particular Rio de Janeiro, security concerns could not be more pressing. As northeastern World Cup host city Recife […]

#UPPWatch

Crime and Punishment: Comments on a Violent Week in Rio

By Felicity Clarke • February 7, 2014

Clique aqui para Português In a week of extreme violence in the city of Rio de Janeiro, a series of incidents have caused shockwaves across social media, shining a harsh light on the grave security […]

#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 […]

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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.
A Project of

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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10 Years! Check Out Our Story:

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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