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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
Homecriminalization of poverty

criminalization of poverty

#UPPWatch

A Brief History of 40 Years of Public Security Failures in the State of Rio Since Brazil’s Return to Democracy, Part 2: Policies Failed to Deliver Solutions [2007-2026]

By Carla Regina, Julio Santos Filho • Translation by Staff • October 14, 2026

Clique aqui para Português This article is part of a series on the 2026 Brazilian elections, focusing on the perspectives of Greater Rio’s favelas. It is also the second installment of a two-part article on the […]

*Highlight

Complex and Intelligent, the Favela Has Its Own Geography

By Preto Zezé • Translation by Staff • May 15, 2026

Clique aqui para Português For the original article by Preto Zezé published in O Globo, click here.  In the year Milton Santos would have turned 100, perhaps the best tribute to the Bahian geographer is not […]

*Highlight

‘Valongo’s New Blacks Cemetery’ Trilogy Reveals Deep Roots of Structural Racism and Urban Inequality in Rio [BOOK REVIEW]

By Paulo Gabriel dos Santos • Translation by Louisa Morrison • March 5, 2026

Clique aqui para Português Released in full in 2025, the trilogy Valongo’s New Blacks Cemetery – An Impactful Journey Through the History of Slavery in Brazil, organized by the New Blacks Institute (IPN) and João […]

According to one of the recent poll, 87% of Rio's favelas residents supposedly support the police operation that led to the deadliest massacre in Rio de Janeiro's History. Nevertheless, nation-wide favela-led post-massacre protests have shown otherwise. The sign reads 'Resident, Not a Criminal.' Photo: Vinícius Ribeiro
#MediaWatch

Why the Pre-Electoral Opinion Polling Published Following Rio de Janeiro’s ‘Mega Police Operation’ Is Misleading

By Scott Salmon • November 7, 2025

Clique aqui para Português On Tuesday, October 28, Brazil’s deadliest police operation resulted in over 120 people dead, leaving bodies behind wherever they fell, strewn for neighbors and families to retrieve, in the Alemão and […]

Morro da Mangueira — Foto: Brenno Carvalho / Agência O Globo / 07-08-2020
*Highlight

COP30 Must Engage With and Walk Alongside the Favela [OPINION]

By Preto Zezé • Translation by Monique Murad da Cunha • October 29, 2025

Clique aqui para Português For the original article by Preto Zezé published in O Globo, click here.  For an ecological transition to be just and effective, it must start where the State fails to reach—or […]

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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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  • Organizing
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  • Content Map
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    • Video Stories
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