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  • [ August 23, 2026 ] 10 Years After Olympics, Rio’s Chronically Neglected Suburban Rail System Is Handed Over to New Consortium, Nova Via Mobilidade #LegacyWatch
  • [ August 22, 2026 ] Third Strongest Windstorm in Rio de Janeiro History Causes Panic and Leaves Trail of Destruction, Say #VoicesFromSocialMedia *Highlight
  • [ August 17, 2026 ] Acari Favela Launches Pioneering Study on the Impacts of Flooding in the Community *Highlight
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  • [ August 4, 2026 ] No Power Is Authentic When It Is Based on Exclusion and Silencing: Gender-Based Political Violence Against Black Women in Brazil [OPINION] #ParticipationWatch
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#UPPWatch

The Power of Militias in Rio de Janeiro’s Elections

By Marsílea Gombata • Translation by Tom Winterbottom • October 2, 2014

For the original by Marsílea Gombata in Portuguese, published in Carta Capital, click here. As Rio citizens vote Sunday, militias act discreetly and go back to supporting candidates rather than running for office themselves. Aside from the R$48 […]

*Highlight

Criminalization, Militarization and the Normalized Absurdities that Condemned Rafael Braga Vieira

By Andrea Cangialosi • September 3, 2014

A debate held on August 20 at Rio’s Fluminense Federal University (UFF) sought to explore the issues of police violence and the criminalization of poverty and social movements in the wake of the widely disputed […]

#Rio2016

‘O Maraca é Nosso!’ Citizens denied entry to stadium bidding process

By Kate Steiker-Ginzberg, Zehra Hashmi • April 19, 2013

On Thursday morning, April 11th, approximately 400 protesters representing various social and political movements marched from Largo do Machado to the Palácio Guanabara in Laranjeiras to demonstrate against the privatization of Rio’s historic Maracanã stadium. […]

Civil Society

‘We’re Young, Black & from the Favela–We Want to Live’

By Felicity Clarke • April 15, 2013

Youth Protest and Devise Solutions to Police Violence in Rio’s Favelas Following the recent North Zone UPP police killings of 21 year-old Aliélson Nogueira in Jacarezinho on April 4th and 16 year-old Mateus Oliveira Casé […]

Policies

The Price of Politics: Is a new type of campaign possible in Rio de Janeiro?

By Anna Kaiser • October 5, 2012

Democracy has strayed far from its origin as a system of governance giving all citizens equal access to decision-making authority and the opportunity to serve in office. Modern day political campaigns not only entail budgets reaching […]

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.
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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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