Brazil in Focus
Contents Page
1. Snapshot of Brazil
• Population
• Education
• Economy
• Politics
• Religion
1. Housing in Brazil
• History of Housing and the Formation of Favelas (slums)
• Violence in Favelas
• MST – Landless Movement of Brazil
2. The Movement for the Defence of Favela Residents ‐ MDF
• Mission
• The work of MDF
1. A Snapshot of Brazil
Brazil will host the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics.
Population
•
In 2012 urban population accounted for 84.9% of Brazil’s 198.4 million residents.
(UN Data, 2013; UNDP, 2013)
•
Extreme poverty, people living on less than $1.25 a day, has decreased from 17.2%
of the population in 1990 to 6.1% in 2009. (UNDP, 2013)
•
Social mobility in Brazil is low and income inequality is largely attributed to race,
ethnicity, place of birth and the level of parents’ education. (UNDP, 2013)
•
According to 2004 figures 60% of children between 0 and 6 belong to female headed
families. (CIESPI 2007)
•
In 2009, 25% of white children aged 0 to 17 lived in a household in poverty, while for
mixed race and afro-descendant children it was 44%. (CIESPI 2011)
•
In 1974-5 36% of Brazilians lacked access to affordable healthcare. This increased
to 51% in 2002. (Pew Research Center, 2003)
Education
•
Of those aged 25 years and older 51% of females and 49% of males have attained
secondary education (2006-2010 figures). (UNDP, 2013)
•
Attendance of non-white students rose from 9% in 1992 to 36% in 2005. (UN-Habitat,
2010)
•
Although Brazil falls within the ‘High’ Human Development Index ranking, primary
school dropout rate is estimated at 24% (2002-2011 figures), which is similar to those
with a ‘Medium’ Human Development Index ranking. (UNDP, 2013)
•
Many working parents have no choice but to leave their children unattended for long
periods. One issue is that children go to school either in the morning or afternoon
and the second issue is the lack of childcare facilities. Residents of a favela (slum) in
Rio de Janeiro revealed that apart from limited spaces in nurseries catering to
children under the age of four, there are no childcare facilities. Only 32% of all
metropolitan residents in Rio de Janeiro had access to nurseries in 2006, with more
than half of this group in the upper class and able to afford private homecare.
(CIESPI 2007)
Economy
•
Brazil is the fastest growing economy in the Americas and in 2011 was ranked as
the world’s six largest economy. (UN-Habitat, 2013)
•
Brazil is home to extreme contrasts of wealth and poverty. The richest 10%
consume 47% of the income, while the poorest 10% only 0.7%. (UN figures 2010)
•
The richest 20% earn 61% of Brazil’s wealth, while the poorest 20% earn 3%. (UNHabitat, 2010)
•
The minimum wage in Brazil in 2013 was R$678 (US$330 or AUD$323) a month.
(Merco Press 2012)
•
Half of the Afro-descendant population have a monthly income of less than two
minimum wages, or R$1,356. (Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 2011)
Politics
•
Brazil was colonised by Portugal and gained its independence in 1822. (History World, n.d)
•
Brazil was ruled by an authoritarian regime from 1964, after a military coup deposed then
President Joao Goulart, who sought to implement an agrarian reform and undertake oil
nationalisation. (History World, n.d.) In 1989 the first direct presidential election was held.
•
During this time of repression the peoples’ movements developed with significant influence
from people such as Paolo Freire, Dom Helder Camara (Bishop of Recife), Francisco
(Chico) Whitaker and the powerful Brazilian Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
•
In 2002 Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva became Brazil’s first left –wing president in nearly 50
years and served two consecutive terms (the maximum permitted). Known as ‘Lula’, he
grew up in a poor household in north eastern Brazil and became a metal worker near the
city of São Paulo. His political career began in trade union activism and in 1975 he was
elected the leader of Metalworkers’ Union, which had 100,000 members. From there he
founded the Workers’ Party (PT), Brazil’s first major socialist party. (BBC, 2010) During his
term he implemented social programs such as Bolsa Familia, which gives a monthly cash
payment of R$152.35 or AUD$76 a month as of September 2013 to low income families,
provided their children are in school and their vaccinations are current. (Forbes, 2013)
•
President Dilma Rousseff, also part of the Workers’ Party, took over from Lula in 2010,
continuing the social programs implemented under Lula.
Religion
•
40% of the world’s Catholic population live in Latin America, 123 million being from
Brazil, which is more than any other nation in the world. (Pew Research Center, 2013)
2. Housing in Brazil
History of Housing and the Formation of Favelas (slums)
•
After Brazil abolished slavery in 1888, Afro-descendent Brazilians without land started to
settle on the outskirts of São Paulo in what was referred to as bairros Africanos (African
neighbourhoods). Today they are referred to as favelas (slums). Over time favelas
have become racially mixed with people from rural areas also settling in the favelas due
to a shortage of alternative affordable housing. (UN-Habitat, 2010)
•
Privately owned low-quality rental properties with low sanitary standards were the main
source of accommodation for low-income households up until the 1930s. As urban
migration increased, so too did rental prices, forcing government intervention. In 1942
the Inquilinato Law was introduced, freezing rental rates and introducing tougher
building regulations and hygiene standards. The government also aimed to move the
property market away from rentals and encourage alternative affordable housing that
would assist the industrial developments taking place in the 1930s as Brazil moved
away from its agriculture export model. In 1946 the first government body of its kind,
Fundacao da Casa Popular was created to oversee new housing and finance
infrastructure to low- and middle- income households. Due to limited resources only
18,000 households were constructed from 1946 to 1964. (UN-Habitat, 2013)
•
From 1964 the National Housing System was created and up until its dissolution in
1986 it financed approximately 4 to 5 million housing units. However only 34% of the
units were assigned for low-income earners; those who earned a maximum of three
minimum wages. (UN-Habitat, 2013)
•
From the 1960s to the 1970s Brazil experienced rapid urbanisation with annual rates of
rural to urban migration of 5% (1950s), 5% (1960s) and 4% (1970s), compared to 2%
during 2000 to 2010. Development of infrastructure, basic services and adequate
housing in cities failed to meet the demand caused by rapid urbanisation, resulting in
the spread of informal settlements also referred to as favelas. Government policies and
lack of urban planning have contributed to urban inequalities between the wealthier
neighbourhoods and favelas with 45% of 57 million households still without access to
adequate sanitation. (UN-Habitat, 2013)
•
People living in favelas grew from 2.2 million in 1980 to 5 million in 1990. By 2010
favela occupants grew to 11.4 million, approximately 7% of Brazil’s urban population.
(UN-Habitat, 2013) Of this national total, 30% of favela occupants live in settlements
in São Paulo. (UN-Habitat, 2010)
•
Low income earners only started to receive a greater share of housing investment
from 2002, when levels went from 32% to 77% in 2007. (UN-Habitat, 2013)
•
In 2009 former President Lula da Silva announced a new federal housing initiative
called ‘Minha Casa – Minha Vida’ (My house – My Life). It was created as a stimulus
package to help the nation overcome the affects of the global financial crisis by
supporting its construction industry, while also addressing the housing shortage.
•
The program is means tested, based on a family’s total income compared to the
minimum wage ratio. The program targets those earning less than R$5,000
(approximately AUD$2,500) gross per month enabling them to one day own their own
home by providing low interest rates and subsidies. The program is divided into 3
groups; group 1 are those who earn between 0 to 3 minimum wages, group 2
between 3 to 6 minimum wages, and group 3 between 6 and 10 minimum wages.
•
Initially R$34 billion (US$18.4 billion or AUD$17 billion) was invested to build 1 million
houses (400 000 dwellings for group 1, 400 000 for group 2 and 200 000 for group 3).
Having reached its initial target the project’s budget has been expanded to R$72
billion (almost US$36.5 billion or AUD$36 billion) and aims to build between 2 to 2.5
million new homes across the country. (UN-HABITAT, 2013)
Violence in Favelas
•
The largest cause of death for people aged 15 to 44 was homicide (2008 figures).
(United Nations Human Rights, 2012)
•
According to MDF 1 in 4 youth in the favelas of São Paulo have experienced the loss of
a parent or close relative by the time they are 18, and 80% report threats of violence or
acts of violence against them by gang members.
•
In São Paulo, incidents where people are killed by police occur three times more within
the Afro-descendent Brazilian group, compared to any other group, and they are
imprisoned four times more than any other group. (UN-Habitat, 2010)
•
Police in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have killed more than 11,000 people since 2003.
In 2008 the police in São Paulo made 348 arrests for every person they killed,
compared to the United States where over 37,000 arrests were made for every person
police killed in the same year. (Human Rights Watch, 2009)
•
São Paulo’s drug trade is ruled by the First Command of the Capital or PCC gang and
violence in the city is predominately between the police and the PCC. PCC was formed
in the prisons of São Paulo, with drug lords controlling the drug trade from behind bars.
(Downie, 2006) Police launched Operation Saturation on 29 October 2012 in the
southern favela Paraisopolis, home to 80,000 people, in an attempt to curb drug
trafficking operations and related violence. (Press TV, 2012)
•
Unlike in São Paulo with one ruling gang, Rio de Janeiro has several rival factions. The
largest is Comando Vermelho, or The Red Command. (InSight Crime, n.d.) Favela
residents in Rio de Janeiro face exacerbated challenges in accessing basic services as
it is not safe to enter neighbouring favelas that have the required service if they are
controlled by a rival gang. (CIESPI 2007)
•
The Unidade de Policia Pacificadora (United Police Pacification or UPP), also known
as The Peace Program, commenced in July 2008 in Rio de Janeiro. Its mission is to
remove the drug dealers and gangs from 18 of the most dangerous favelas in Rio de
Janeiro with plans to extend its reach to 30 favelas per year. (UN Habitat 2011) Once
authorities have favelas secured by using special forces, social services are then
established under UPP Social. However police violence is a concern for residents,
with a lady commenting “Before I was afraid of stray bullets. Now I’m afraid of the
pacification itself” (Clarke, 2012).
•
10 police from Rocina’s UPP have been charged in connection to the death of
Amarildo de Souza, an innocent favela resident, who went missing on his way home in
2013. He was last seen on a closed circuit camera being led into Rocinha’s Police
Pacifying Unit. Usually nothing is done about similar cases however he soon became
the most famous missing person in Brazil as it occurred when people were already
taking to the streets in June 2013, which began over a bus fare increase in São Paulo.
His image was used in protests against corruption and police violence. (Purcell, 2013)
•
Part of the UPP Social Plan is to improve and legalise electricity services, however
residents will be required to pay approximately R$80 (AUD$40) instead of R$5
(AUD$2.50) for electricity bills and another R$18.16 (AUD$9.10) in taxes, placing
further pressure on already financially strained households. Meanwhile the electricity
provider ‘Light’ is expected to increase profits from R$3.2 million (AUD$1.6 million) to
R$24 million (AUD$12 million) annually. (Smith 2011)
MST – Landless Movement of Brazil
•
1% of Brazil’s population owns 47% of Brazil’s total land. (Inter-American Commission
on Human Rights, 1997)
•
Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement, Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem
Terra (MST), is a mass social movement that started in 1984 in the southern state of
Rio Grande do Sul by rural workers pushing for an agrarian reform to address social
inequality and injustices in rural areas. MST started after rural workers began
occupying large unattended rural estates. Through their efforts over 15 million acres
were granted to more than 1,500 settlements occupying land, providing over 250,000
families with a permanent place to settle. (MST Brazil, 2013)
•
In 1985 the MST held its First National Congress in Curitiba, Parana State carrying
the motto “To occupy is the only solution”, which was a landmark event given that it
was during Brazil’s military dictatorship.
•
Currently there are 900 groups camped on rural estates in makeshift plastic dwellings
with 150,000 landless families. (MST Brazil, 2013)
•
As one man stated “We would rather grow food than be given food” (SONofED
Goldsmith College, 2008).
São Paulo in Focus
•
The State of São Paulo accounts for 34% of Brazil’s economy, creating a pull factor for
those from other regions of Brazil. (UN-Habitat, 2010)
•
Informal settlements account for 8% (2010 figures) of São Paulo’s city land. In 1970 only
1% of São Paulo’s population lived in favelas, compared to today’s estimates of 20%
(approximately 2 million people). (UN-Habitat, 2010).
•
Approximately 11 million people live in the municipality of São Paulo. Most of the lowincome households in São Paulo are situated on the periphery of the city in the wider
Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, which has a population of 19.7 million inhabitants. The
total population of the State of São Paulo is 41.1 million, over 25% of Brazil’s total urban
population. (UN-Habitat, 2010)
•
Favela residents are socially excluded by lack of adequate transportation to access jobs,
health services and education. Only 16% of people living in favelas have their own
vehicles. (UN-HABITAT, 2010)
•
According to the 2006 SEADE/UN-Habitat Living Conditions Survey 47% of favela
residents had a hospital or clinic in their neighbourhood. (UN-Habitat, 2010)
•
Approximately 620,000 units were vacant in Metropolitan São Paulo (MSP), with 38,604
empty residences in the downtown central districts of MSP, while approximately 600,000
people live in sub-standard buildings, referred to as cortiços. (UN-Habitat, 2010)
•
The difference between favelas and cortiços is that favelas are illegal settlements on
public or private land, where as cortiços are rented rooms (usually a whole family lives in
a single room) in sub-standard large residential blocks with shared facilities (often one
toilet per 20 to 30 people). Both are referred to as slums.
•
8% of dwellings in Metropolitan São Paulo are prone to flooding, putting more than
800,000 at risk. (UN-Habitat, 2010)
3. The Movement for the Defence
of Favela Residents (MDF)
The mission of MDF is to:
RESCUE, DEFEND & PROMOTE
the citizenship of the inhabitants of the shanty towns in the areas of politics, pedagogy, art and
religious freedom.
The movement is based on a three pronged approach of:
•Presence
•Resistance
•Solidarity
MDF was formed in the late 1970’s in the Eastern Zone of São
Paulo, during Brazil’s military dictatorship (from 1964 till 1985).
MDF’s initial partnership with Caritas Australia commenced in
1985 for a period of three years.
In 2001 this partnership was renewed in response to a
submission from MDF for assistance in the establishment of a
Cultural Centre for youth to combat the influence of gangs and
the ever increasing drug trade.
MDF Brazil have a proven track record in addressing social
inequality for some of the most marginalised communities in the
favelas of São Paulo. The strategic plan of the organisation
focuses on the development of individuals and communities in
amplifying voice and building capacity to combat oppression due
to the cycle of poverty. The promotion of the dignity and self
worth of each individual is paramount in MDF’s planning for
programs and community development work.
The animation of local community groups
through a variety of training programs
enables the community members to
sustain their long journey of social
transformation. The core work of the
movement is social transformation in all its
dimensions, particularly through civic
participation and representation.
MDF is recognized throughout São Paulo
and wider Brazil as an advocacy
organisation which:
• stands in solidarity
marginalised
• empowers members
• brings about change
• is people centred.
with
the
most
Centro Cultural, or the Cutural Centre, is a focal point in the lives of the 30,000 plus
residents of Vila Prudente (one of the favelas MDF works in). It is housed in the
centre of one of the most violent favelas in São Paulo and offers hope and dignity
for young people and their families.
One of the main aims of the Cultural Centre is to build the self esteem of residents
through a wide range of cultural activities.
It challenges young people to develop and use their gifts and talents to bring about
social transformation to benefit themselves and the wider community.
The Cultural Centre provides an opportunity for young people to explore their gifts
in a variety of media:
• Art
• Drama/Dance
• Film making
• Circus
• Literacy & numeracy
• Computing
• Citizenship & leadership
MDF:
•
Provides legal and structural support to communities to obtain land titles and land
ownership
•
Advocates for access to water, light and sanitation
•
Facilitates participation and representation in municipal and state government by the
shantytown dwellers
•
Coordinates the construction of community centres and daycare centres in the favelas
•
Provides adult literacy programs and leadership formation
MDF also supports and coordinates very successful community income generation
programs such as bakeries, catering and recycling projects throughout the favelas.
Childcare centres provide a haven for pre-schoolers who would otherwise be left alone at
home or with their primary school age siblings. The community kitchens and bakeries
supply meals for 13 crèches established in the favelas.
.
Another important aspect of MDF’s empowerment program is to assist communities in
future planning for housing with dignity. Representatives of the favela communities are
trained in planning for the future development of housing allotments with access to clean
drinking water, adequate sewerage systems and land allocation for community centres.
Favela São Marco
References
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5346744.stm
CIESPI 2007, ‘Researching Support for Families: An Example From a Low-income
Community in Rio de Janeiro Brazil’, CIESPI, accessed 21 October 2013,
www.ciespi.org.br
CIESPI 2011, ‘Closing the Gap Between Rights and Realities
for Children and Youth in Urban Brazil:
Reflections on a Brazilian Project to Improve Policies for Street Children’, CIESPI,
www.ciespi.org.br/publicacoes/livros-e-periodicos
Clarke, F. 2012, ‘UPP police denounced for human rights violations during 1st meeting
of its kind’, Rio On Watch, http://rioonwatch.org/?p=3764
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http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1195272,00.html
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ack=pthc
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Pew Research Centre 2003, ‘Most of the world still does without’, People Press,
www.people-press.org/2003/11/25/most-of-the-world-still-does-without/
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(Urbanisation of Favelas: An experience of São Paulo)’,
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http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/31/269777/brazil-police-launch-anticrime-operation/
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www.smh.com.au/world/trouble-in-rio-20131021-2vwzn.html
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http://rioonwatch.org/?p=2592
SONofED Goldsmith College 2008, MST – Landless Movement of Brazil,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWjrTKuYsJg
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in a Diverse World,
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3%20Report%20English.pdf
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program’, UN-HABITAT,
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House My Life’ Program, UN-Habitat, www.unhabitat.org
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Measurement and Implementation, OHCHR,
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Photo credits:
Erin Johnson
Caritas Australia