Deadly confrontations between police forces and drug gangs, such as the violent clash in Rio de Janeiro in October 2025, exemplify the public insecurity afflicting Rio and other metropolitan areas in Brazil. An exclusionary model of economic development, which has generated a chaotic urbanization process and vast socioeconomic inequalities, is behind criminality, violence, and a sense of impunity affecting the country. Focusing on the vulnerable residents of favelas—precarious, informal, and high-risk urban settlements—this essay examines Brazil’s “urban paradox,” in which economic growth and modernization have produced unintended consequences, including destitution, criminality, police violence, and collective punishment.
A Thu, study studied this question.
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