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Latest News
  • [ 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 by Community Contributors
  • [ April 21, 2026 ] New ‘Water Watch Platform’ Enables Monitoring and Public Participation in Health and Sanitation in the State of Rio de Janeiro *Highlight
  • [ April 14, 2026 ] ‘If the Baixada Doesn’t Plant, Rio de Janeiro Doesn’t Eat’: Second Magé Climate Forum Puts Regional Food Sovereignty at the Center *Highlight
  • [ April 10, 2026 ] There’s Blood in the Palmeiras Favela: The Cry for Help Police Chose Not to Hear in São Gonçalo’s Salgueiro Favela Complex #UPPWatch
  • [ April 8, 2026 ] ‘While Water Is Scarce, Profits Abound!’ On World Water Day, Outraged Movements Demand Right to Water in Front of Águas do Rio, Rio de Janeiro’s Private Utility, and Call for Restatization *Highlight
HomePacifying Police Unit (UPP)

Pacifying Police Unit (UPP)

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 […]

Agatha Felix and her mother
*Highlight

365 Days Without Ágatha Vitória Félix: Mother Demands Justice at Protest Memorial for her Daughter

By Mariana Gomes • Translation by Cormac Whitney Low • October 17, 2020

Clique aqui para Português The gesture of arms in an X across the chest, with closed fists, that went around the world in a photo of Ágatha Félix—an 8-year-old girl who died last year from […]

#CoronavirusWatch

Ana Paula Oliveira: ‘Our Struggle has Grown. We have to Seek, in Every Way, to Stay Alive’ [INTERVIEW]

By Nina Zur • Translation by Sarah Jacobs • August 20, 2020

Clique aqui para Português For the original interview in Portuguese by Nina Zur in Medium, click here. This is our latest article on Covid-19 as it impacts Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. The following conversation I […]

*Highlight

Beyond Reform: Imagining the End of Police and Prisons in Brazil and the United States [REFERENCE]

By Chloe Villalobos, Emily Zislis • August 12, 2020

Clique aqui para Português Mass protests in the United States have sparked a debate about how to end police violence globally, even as cases elsewhere are characterized by different historical realities. These differences must be […]

*Highlight

The Enduring Voices and Legacy of the Mothers of Acari #AcariMassacre30Years

By Tatiana Lima • Translation by Catherine Osborn • July 31, 2020

Clique aqui para Português On Monday, July 26, a symbolic protest marking the 30th Anniversary of the Acari Massacre, organized by the Fala Akari Collective—with authorization from the two living Mothers of Acari (Mães de […]

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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
    • Interviews/Profiles
    • Research & Analysis
    • Reviews
    • Listicles
    • Opinion
    • Reference
    • Podcasts
    • Translated Articles
  • About
    • Timeline
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