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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)

#ParticipationWatch

‘International Favelas Conference’ Promotes a (dis)Integrated City: From Erasing Favela Residents to Global Marketing [OPINION]

By Charlie Gomes • Translation by Kay Alvito • April 2, 2026

Clique aqui para Português Preface: Public Policies Without Active Listening Don’t Bring Change The “International Favelas Conference,” which took place on March 17 and 18, organized by the Brazilian Institute of Architects’ Rio de Janeiro […]

#UPPWatch

‘Grief to Action’ Personified in ‘Cuca,’ Who Lost His Brother to Rio de Janeiro’s Infamous Police Brutality [PROFILE]

By Lucas Novello, Vinícius Ribeiro • Translation by Sylvia Schiller • February 26, 2025

Clique aqui para Português This article is part of RioOnWatch‘s series on Memories of Favela Power, which documents and celebrates the history of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas through narratives and reports from residents’ collective memory, in […]

#UPPWatch

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes Halts Tribute to Amarildo de Souza, Blocking Street Name Change in Rocinha

By Igor Soares, Rodrigo Silva • Translation by Kay Alvito • December 20, 2024

Clique aqui para Português For the original article by Igor Soares and Rodrigo Silva published in Fala Roça, click here. RioOnWatch translated this article to update our English-speaking audience on a critical story we covered […]

#CommunityMedia

The Challenges Faced by Community Journalists in the Largest Favela Complex of Rio de Janeiro’s Baixada Fluminense

By Fabio Leon • Translation by Staff • October 23, 2023

Clique aqui para Português Check out our complete series of community media profiles here. Complexo da Mangueirinha, in Duque de Caxias, is the largest cluster of favelas in Greater Rio de Janeiro’s Baixada Fluminense region. […]

#MediaWatch

The Criminal and the Vagrant: Brazilian Mass Media’s Bloody Discourse Defends White Privilege and Sentences Favelas [EDITORIAL]

By RioOnWatch Editorial • Translation by Angus Beazley • March 30, 2023

Clique aqui para Português Last year on June 22, veteran CNN Brasil commentator Boris Casoy gave his analysis of the pre-trial detention of Milton Ribeiro in Santos, São Paulo. Former education minister for then-president Jair […]

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.
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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  • Policies
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    • 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
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    • Research & Analysis
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    • Listicles
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