the favelas of rio firmly  belong to and contribute greatly to the city picture, to its history, culture and to the carioca identity. however, the reputation of rios favelas world wide has generally been tainted by the high crime rates, that have frequently made headlines over the past decades.

it is imperative to understand the nature, including the history and underlying causes of these issues in order to fully understand cariocas today and appreciate the achievements of rios law enforcement agencies, civic society and communities in taking a stand and eventually begin healing from this experience.

we understand the intricacies of writing about organized crime groups and would like to stress, that by mentioning and / or alluding to any faction, criminal activity, gang, or any wanted or condemned individuals, we do not endorse their activities nor do we wish to promote them. while it is problematic to talk about this topic, it holds an important place in what makes up the character of rio and therefore, cannot be ignored.