A 10 years old girl having hallucinations after sniffing ether near Berrini Avenue in São Paulo. The neighbourhood around the Berrini Avenue hosts the offices of some of the most important companies of the world as Google, Facebook and many Brazilian companies. The region has been called as the modern financial heart of the capital.
Brazil suffers from the biggest crack-cocaine epidemic in the world, and São Paulo’s "Cracolândia (Crackland)" is its symbolic epicentre. The city is changing its approach to face the problem. Forced hospitalisations, police interventions and forced detoxifications have given way to an "Open Arms" programme, which provides food, housing and jobs for addicts.
A child living with her mother who is a drug dealer in São Paulo. The father was arrested and the woman had to start trafficking drugs in order to make money to sustain her daughter.
The bodies of Fabiano Maciel da Silva, 20 years old, who committed suicide after being long involved with drugs issues and in economical debt with gangs and the body of Carlos Warley Telles Barbosa, 17 years old, killed by unknown men in front of a church are being transported to autopsy. Accordingly to a 2012 study promoted by the Brazilian presidential office of human rights. Governador Valadares is the second most violent city for children in Brazil.
São Paulo, Ligia de Carvalho Fiochi, 34 years old, mother of Leticia. Ligia started to consume crack in late 2012 and quickly fell victim to economical and social problems. She got pregnant while living in the streets and consumed drugs during the 8th and the 9th month of pregnancy. Threatened to have her child taken for adoption, she decided to stop using drugs and to start treatments. She decided to live with her mother in law. In the picture: On November 7th 2014, after a discussion with her mother in law, Ligia left the house with her daughter. She had a relapse and started to consume crack once again. Without money or a safe place to stay, she went back with her old mates in the favela Amassa Sapo.
An indigenous boy from the Guarany ethnical group in the Jaguapiru, an indigenous reserve in Dourados region. Living in a reserve far from its culture and without land to produce their living or hope for a brighter future, have caused among young Guaranies, one of the highest suicide rate in the world.
São Paulo, May 15th 2014. A female police officer injured in her head by a stone thrown by protesters is being helped by her colleagues.
The Quinta dos Lázaros cemetery in Salvador receives more than 300 unidentified persons every year, many of them victims of crimes that are never solved.
34 years old police officer Rodrigo Ribeiro Pinto, was killed during an operation of the Pacifying Police Unit in the favela of Jacarezinho in Rio de Janeiro on November,30th 2015.
At the Bororo indigenous reserve, Ari Oliveira, 61 years old, committed suicide. The reserves of Jaguapiru and Bororo in Dourados, suffer from an epidemical wave of suicides committed by indigenous of all age.
São Paulo, November 18th 2012. Two youngsters were killed and one was injured in an gun attack fired by two unknown men who arrived on the scene on a motorcycle and then fled, according to police reports and witnesses. The two of victims on the scene are Robert Fernandes da Silva, 18, and Ronaldo Pires Barros, 17. Another boy was rescued by the emergency team and survived.
An officer at the Special Operations Unit of the police of São Paulo interrogates a young man suspected of car robbery.
A young boy arrested for murder in the city of Governador Valadares.
Mexico 70, one of the largest favela of the city of Santos, a mother carries her baby daughter in her arms.
In Sāo Paulo, a police officer member of the ROTA battalion during the arrest of two persons suspect to be members of the "Bonde do Trem Bala" criminal gang. The gang is one of the most violent groups operating in the capital and in other Brazilian cities; they are responsible for various assassinations and dealing of drugs. The gang operates in partnership with PCC or "Primeiro Comando da Capital", the largest and most well-framed criminal organisation in Brazil.
Two police officers of the ROTA battalion bursting in an house while searching for a "cativeiro" in a favela in the south region of São Paulo. The region is controlled by the PCC or "Primeiro Comando da Capital", the largest and most organised criminal organisation in Brazil.
São Paulo. A "Baile Proibidão" organised by a criminal group, called "Noite da Mais Devassa", after the beer brand named Devassa that can be translated to "Promiscuous girl". The girls in the public were encouraged to go on the stage in order to show up how promiscuous they can be. The audience chooses one winner who gets a box containing several souvenirs of the Devassa brand.
A 11 years old boy, member of an armed criminal faction in São Paulo Brazil, training shooting with an 9mm automatic hand gun.
On November 14th 2012 approximately 600 people living in a favela in the East part of Sao Paulo lost their homes consumed by fire. Fires occur in isolated slums in areas where there is a rapid growth of real estate speculation. There are no register of fires of this proportion in devalued regions predominantly occupied by favelas. In this picture, a woman is allowed to come back to the place where she lived in search of remaining belongings.
Carla Keteny Santos Pereira, 19 years old, assassinated by P.H.F.L 16 on March 22nd 2014 in Governador Valadares in the dispute of territory among two gangs. Carla was 4 months pregnant with Tiago Lopes da Silva, a local drug dealer who received a death sworn from the rival gang. Accordingly to a 2012 study promoted by the Brazilian presidential office of human rights. Governador Valadares is the second most violent city for children in Brazil.
São Paulo. A "Baile Proibidão" organised by a criminal group, called "Noite da Mais Devassa", after the beer brand named Devassa that can be translated to "Promiscuous girl". The girls in the public were encouraged to go on the stage in order to show up how promiscuous they can be. The audience chooses one winner who gets a box containing several souvenirs of the Devassa brand.
São Paulo. Many of the city's favelas are controlled by factions and armed groups aligned with PCC. The state has limited access in those areas leaving the population without basic services as health, education and security.
The Brazilian people are more and more weary of taxes and of the low quality of public services, especially after the overpricing caused by the works for the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
A 13 years old "fogueteiro" or "rocketeer" in his post, guarding the entrance of an area controlled by an criminal group in Sāo Paulo. Underaged boys are often recruited by the organised crime to guard the entrance of their territory. In case of invasion by the police or rival groups, the "fogueteiro" uses fireworks to alert his heads, normally living in more protected areas.
Veronica was arrested by the Grupo de Operações Especiais of the civilian police of São Paulo. GOE. She was found with several grams of marihuana and cocaine divided in several small plastic packs. She claimed to be a crack addicted but the police arrested her after they found a paper with the countability of how much drug she sold that night.
In the 2016 CCSP-JP, a Mexican NGO, has been published the rank of the 50 most violent cities in the world. All but 8 of the 50 worst cities on the list are to be found in Latin America and 19 in Brazil. Numbers that chill the enthusiasm, even if we only analyze Brazil where in the last year the homicides have been 60.000. Police has killed an average of 6 persons everyday and violence has triplicated. Only Syria is worst while in the last three years, with 172.000 homicides, Brazil by itself has exceeded all the killed victims of 12 countries like Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, Colombia, Congo, Sri Lanka, India, Somalia, Nepal, Kashmir, Pakistan and Israel.
According to the “Map of violence: Homicide and youth in Brazil”, violence among the Brazilian youths has increased over the past three decades. Between 1980 and 2011, the violent deaths of young people – caused by accidents, homicide or suicide – grew by 207.9% and, if we consider only the murders, this increase reaches 326.1%.
It’s drug that has turned Brazilian favelas into an hell, with millions of human beings forced to live without sewers, hostage of an absent government or, even worse, accomplice of the gangs that compete for the huge drugs market. Everyday, very young affiliates of the gangs, as well as their relatives and friends, are involved in bloody revenges that cause deaths not only among civilians but also among the police that tries to contain the wave of violence that at this point looks unstoppable.
Simultaneously to what happens in the favelas, during last years Brazil has seen an increase of demonstrations by citizens tired out by the huge disruptions in public services and by the rise of taxes caused by the organization of big events like the Football World Cup and the Olympic Games; Demonstrations that very often are suppressed by police with an excessive use of force.
“In Brazil the possibility of violent death is present in everybody’s life. At any moment, wherever you are, however much money you have”.
