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Latest News
  • [ January 29, 2026 ] ‘It’s the Place of Resistance of Our Existence’: Duque de Caxias’ Culture Manor is a Hub for Art, Education and Leisure by Community Contributors
  • [ January 13, 2026 ] 10 Years Since the Rio Olympics: Vila Autódromo Continues to Resist Gentrification Pressures Amidst New ‘Olympic Barra’ Neighborhood #EvictionsWatch
  • [ January 8, 2026 ] COP30 Civil Society Rundown: Thousands of Communities and Social Movements, Representing Favelas, Indigenous, Quilombola and Other Marginalized Groups Fill Belém During COP30 [IMAGES] *Highlight
  • [ December 31, 2025 ] ‘What We Want Aren’t Bodies on the Ground… It’s Recognition of [Our] People Creating Solutions’: Penha Favelas Hold Composters and Integrated Health Events Highlighting Local Climate Memories *Highlight
  • [ December 26, 2025 ] 2025 Retrospective of Top International Reporting on Rio’s Favelas #MediaWatch
HomeISER

ISER

Original artwork by David Amen
*Highlight

In Rio’s Favelas, the Fight Against Police Brutality Begins in the Womb

By Alexandre Cerqueira • Translation by Clau Guimarães • June 15, 2021

Clique aqui para Português This article is the latest contribution to our year-long reporting project, “Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas: Deconstructing Social Narratives About Racism in Rio de Janeiro.” Follow our Rooting Anti-Racism in the Favelas […]

Photo by Tatiane Mendes
#CoronavirusWatch

From Mourning to the Supreme Court: Favela Voices Demand Reduction of Police Lethality

By Tatiana Lima • Translation by Annie Swank • June 10, 2021

Clique aqui para Português For the first time in Brazilian history, favela grassroots movements, mothers of victims of State violence, and civil society organizations were heard by the country’s highest court, the Brazilian Supreme Court […]

"Black Mothers Cannot Take Crying Any More," banner at June 2020 march against racism and state violence. Photo: Luna Costa
*Highlight

Brazil Supreme Court Considers Landmark Case on Police Operations in Rio’s Favelas, Part I

By Cormac Whitney Low • July 25, 2020

Clique aqui para Português This is the first installment of a two-part piece looking at a Brazilian Supreme Court case known as “ADPF das Favelas.” It discusses the effects of a legal opinion and a […]

*Highlight

Public Hearing in Nova Iguaçu Submits Recommendations on Human Rights to State Legislature

By Fabio Leon • Translation by Cerianne Robertson, Fred Nisser • June 29, 2018

Clique aqui para Português The song “Mãe” (“Mother”), by rapper Emicida, echoed endlessly in the surrounding sounds of the comfortable auditorium of the Nova Iguaçu Diocese Training Center (Cenfor NI). Soon, the comfort gave way to […]

#ParticipationWatch

Greater Rio’s Participatory Planning Process to ‘Model the Metropolis’

By Luisa Fenizola • Translation by Júlia Hara Medeiros • June 28, 2018

Clique aqui para Português Metropolitan integration As it was with Brazil’s 1988 Constitution that recognized cities as sites of planning and decision-making, granting them more autonomy, today there is a growing movement to recognize that there […]

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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

  • Home
    • Highlighted Stories
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    • Sanitation
  • Violations
    • Human Rights
    • Housing Rights
    • Police Violence
    • Government Neglect
  • Organizing
    • Community Organizing
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    • Resistance
    • Sustainability
    • Participation
    • Protest
    • Culture
    • Responsible Tourism
  • Content Map
    • by Community Contributors
    • by Int’l Observers
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      • Energy Justice Series
    • Event Reports
    • Video Stories
    • Photo-Essays
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