This time on Focus On Brazil, The CEO Game puts the focus on the Brazilian sky high crime rates. Despite of everything said until now, Brazil is still facing tremendous problems related to crime, violence and especially drug trafficking which it must overcome in order to fulfill all its dreams.
Even the most hardcore optimists who dream, think, breath and believe in Brazil and its economy know: Brazil’s root problems aren’t just going to fade away. Brazil is facing some harsh domestic problems, the most protruded and blunt one is the issue of homeland security. Saying that it is a good idea to wonder around in the streets of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo after the sun sets, is an Understatement. The Favelas, which are Portuguese for ‘slums‘, continue to be magnet for crime and violence, and perhaps its cornerstone.
Homeland Security Problems.
Brazil knows, without a dramatic decrease of the Favelas and a solution to its residents’ poverty, Brazil just won’t become the country it wishes to be. And what are these Favelas actually? The Favelas are huge neighborhoods which were built illegally, without any organized plan for the long run. All Favelas suffer from lack of infrastructures, few are lucky enough to have water or electricity. On the contrary, the worldwide famous and legendary Brazilian soccer players such Pele and Ronaldo, grew up on the streets of the Favelas, where they played soccer with ragged balls.
Today, the Favelas’ population is well over 6 million, which is a lot. It is hard to even imagine- nearly five percent of Brazil’s population is spending their lives living like refugees. Again, these are only residents of the Favelas, one must remember that poverty and crime isn’t restricted to their borders.
The phenomenon of the Favelas began in the end of the 19th century, in the era when slavery was abandoned in Brazil. What happened is that slaves the were recruited from the country to go and fight neighboring Paraguay, returned home from the battlefield but had no place to go. The government didn’t provide them with any housing. Having no choice, the returning soldiers settled down anywhere they could. In Rio de Janeiro they seized the beautiful hills surrounding the coastline city.
In the 70’s the numbers of the Favelas’ residents raised dramatically. The cause for this upset was the farmers and other residents of rural areas who streamed to the cities. Along the years, the Brazilian government and humanitarian aid services attempted to improve the situation of the Favelas, the last time was in 2007 during a program initiated by President Lula. Some of the Favelas’ residents actually recovered due to these initiatives, but a significant and profound change is still not in sight.
We will continue to cover these issues which as aforementioned are the ones standing between Brazil and the dream of being all that it can be on the next time. Moreover we will shed more light on Brazil’s battle in crime, and try to answer how the 2016 Olympics will influence it.
More on Brazil: Focus on Brazil, Focus on Brazil: Only Second to the US, Focus on Brazil: The Olympics to Boost Communications, Focus On Brazil: It’s in the Oil, Will the Olympics be a Financial Success Story part one and two.
The CEO Game.
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