Youth Gang Members in Rio de Janeiro: The Face of a ‘Lost Generation’ in an Age of Fear and Mistrust

This article analyses the relationship between stigmatisation, violence and marginality, and its limits to social justice and citizenship. It involves a critical reflection on the way groups living in ‘a social and symbolical shade’ are represented and treated by governments and their institutions, and the way such practices reinforce a cycle of socio‐symbolical marginality and the limits to life in the city. The article will explore the findings of a research within drug gangs in which I have been involved ( Observatório de Favelas, 2006 ; Silva et al., 2009 and, Silva and Urani, 2002 ), and my own research on violence, urban marginality and stigmatisation ( Fernandes, 2009, 2012 ).     

Pacifying and integrating the favelas of Rio de Janeiro An evaluation of the impact of the UPP program on favela residents

In 2008, to curb the violence in the city and in preparation for its bid to host the World Cup and the Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro installed the “Unidades de Policia Pacificadora” (UPP) program. The aim of this program is to increase security by restoring state control in the favelas and by integrating the favelas and their residents into the formal city. Based on an extensive literature review and 30 (in-depth) interviews with key stakeholders, including favela residents, this article evaluates the extent to which the UPP program has reached its goals 5 years after it was introduced. It concludes that the UPP program has deeply impacted the lives of favela residents. Fewer incidents of lethal violence have been registered. At the same time, residents generally feel safer, and pacified favelas have been integrated to some extent in the formal city. But these achievements have – literally – come at a price. Baile funk has left the favelas and the increased costs for public services and housing have compelled some residents to move to marginalized parts of the city.