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Latest News
  • [ October 29, 2026 ] Favela Leaders Confronting the Climate Crisis In Diverse, Creative Ways Is Top Takeaway From Latest ‘Sustainable Favela Festival’ *Highlight
  • [ October 23, 2026 ] ‘We Are at Risk of Losing Everything We Hold Most Precious:’ What’s at Stake When Brazilians Head to the Polls This Sunday [OPINION] #CoronavirusWatch
  • [ October 22, 2026 ] What Do Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro Policy Platforms Intend For Favelas? #UPPWatch
  • [ October 21, 2026 ] Grassroots Movements Across the State of Rio Held 300 Pro-Democracy Rallies This Month, Show #VoicesFromSocialMedia #ParticipationWatch
  • [ October 20, 2026 ] Polling Location Changes in Favelas That Typically Support Lula Led to Significant Abstentions in Brazil’s First Round Voting, Raising Profound Ethical Questions #ParticipationWatch
Homeprison

prison

Willian's mother. Photo by Ian de Farias
#UPPWatch

Two Months After Arrest, Favela Unites to Demand Release of Wrongfully Detained Youth

By Tyler Strobl • October 16, 2018

Clique aqui para Português  On Tuesday, October, 9, around 150 people gathered at the entrance of Morro dos Prazeres favela in Central Rio to protest the wrongful detention of Willian Preciliano Bezerra da Silva. Two months […]

*Highlight

Youth from Favela Mistakenly Arrested: ‘Willian, This Community Has No Doubt, You Are Innocent’

By Luisa Fenizola • Translation by Desirée Poets • September 27, 2018

Clique aqui para Português Willian Preciliano is a young 21-year-old man from Morro dos Prazeres, a favela above Rio’s historic Santa Teresa neighborhood. In July, he finished high school and his parents gave him the […]

#MarielleLegacy

Countdown to Brazil’s 2018 Elections, Part 6: Growth and Diversity of Favela Candidates

By Luisa Fenizola • Translation by Sharon Gogar • September 18, 2018

Clique aqui para Português This is the sixth article in an ongoing series on the Brazilian electoral political scene in 2018. The immediate reaction to the death of Marielle Franco, beyond deep pain, was the strengthening of […]

*Highlight

‘Black July’ Organizers Unite Against Racism, Militarization in Latin America, Africa, Middle East

By Paula Peña • June 25, 2018

Clique aqui para Português It’s 3pm on a cloudy Saturday and, as more people file through the entrance of Instituto Raízes em Movimento (Roots in Movement Institute) in Complexo do Alemão, what initially seemed like a […]

Nem after his arrest in 2011. Photo by A/A Beatriz / Reuters
#InterventionWatch

‘I Don’t Regret Being a Drug Trafficker. What Would You Do In My Place?’ – Rocinha’s Nem

By Gil Alessi • Translation by Cheyne Bull • April 2, 2018

Clique aqui para Português For the original article in Portuguese by Gil Alessi published by EL PAÍS click here. “E2 pawn to E4,” shouts Antônio Bonfim Lopes, 41, from his seven-square-meter cell at the Porto […]

Posts pagination

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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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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
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  • Communities
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  • 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
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    • Research & Analysis
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    • Listicles
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    • Translated Articles
  • About
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