Olympics

  • May 18th though May 20, the Rapporteur of the Right to the City (Relatoria do Direito à Cidade – Plataforma Dhesca) will begin an investigation in Rio de Janeiro with the goal of evaluating the preparations for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. The mission will include visits to the communities and will count on the participation…

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  • Reuters, Wednesday May 11, 2011 * Brazil accused of ignoring rights in infrastructure push * Critics say Rio projects ignoring city’s long-term needs * City says many more people will benefit than lose out By Stuart Grudgings RIO DE JANEIRO — (Reuters) – Like his house, Jose Santos de Oliveira is an island of resistance.…

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  • The internet was a buzz yesterday as ESPN published its expose on what it considered the “real” Rio de Janeiro. It was an interesting article by ESPN, not only because of the suggestive title, “Deadly Games,” but because of the way it presented a city we have come to know and love. It is without…

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  • During the morning of 29 April, 2011, the doors to the reception hall at the headquarters of the Public Defender’s Center for Land and Housing (NUTH) were closed and locked to city residents. This local government office is responsible for defending the civil and human rights of Rio de Janeiro’s resident. Reports indicate that a…

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  • The head of Amnesty International was in Rio de Janeiro this week and met with victims who have been forcibly removed from their homes. Secretary General Salil Shetty’s presence in Brazil demonstrates the seriousness of the issue from an international perspective, and is one of many recent events that is slowly increasing pressure and shedding…

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  • United Nations Human Rights – Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. GENEVA (26 April 2011) – As Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, the Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council on the right to adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, said Tuesday she has received many…

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  • Rio World Cup demolitions leave favela families trapped in ghost town From the Guardian – Tom Phillips Preparations for the World Cup and Olympics are bringing unparalleled development to Rio de Janeiro. But this development is creating a series of new problems which government officials had either never envisioned, or don’t care to attend to.…

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  • On Friday, February 25th Favela residents, protesting the illegalities of proposed forced evictions, gathered in front of Rio de Janeiro’s State Public Defenders Office to let their voices be heard in solidarity. Protesters and residents were joined by a collection of public interest organizations, and local community action groups, with the intent of voicing their…

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  • The April rains caused over 250 deaths in the state of Rio de Janeiro, with about 65 occurring in the city of Rio. In Laboriaux (the area of Rocinha where Mundo Real has been active for years) two residents died when a large tree gave way and crushed their house. In the wake of the…

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  • On Tuesday, October 26 residents representing at least 10 of Rio’s low-income communities (favelas) took to the streets in peaceful protest. The demonstration was in response to the City’s frenzied decision, led by mayor Eduardo Paes, to return to the dormant policies of forcefully evicting entire favela communities that are located in prime real-estate or…

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