Social issues in Brazil

Poverty in Brazil is most visually represented by the favelas, slums in the country's metropolitan areas and remote upcountry regions that suffer with economic underdevelopment and below-par standards of living.

In Rio de Janeiro, about a fifth of its population of six million live in several hundred favelas, situated on steep, neglected land largely beyond the control and services of city authorities.

[3] An attempt to mitigate these problems is the "Fome Zero" program launched by then-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2003.

Part of this is "Bolsa Família",[4] a cash transfer program that gives money to impoverished families under the condition that they keep their kids vaccinated and in school.

Brazil ranks among the world's highest nations in the Gini coefficient index of inequality assessment.

However, the same study shows the income growth of the poorest 20% population segment to be almost in par with China, while the richest 10% are stagnating.

Brazil is more unequal than Botswana, with 0.533 according to the Gini index, a small country neighboring South Africa with just over two million inhabitants.

[7] The Brazilian federal government has also implemented and expanded in the last years major subsidy programs, such as Bolsa Família and Fome Zero, for families deemed to be in need of assistance.

[13][14] In response, the Brazilian government established the National Public Security Force (FNSP) in June 2004 by the Ministry of Justice, to act in situations of emergency, in times of crisis.

[16] The data show that the country had 41,069 murders in 2021, the lowest number in the entire historical series, which started in 2007, there were 3,049 fewer deaths compared to 2020, a drop of 7%, 21 states in the country had a reduction in murders in the year the biggest drop was registered in the state of Acre, with less than 38% in the number of homicides.

the North was the only region of the country that recorded a rise in murders, with 10% the highest increase was registered in Amazonas, with 54%.

[17] Specialists from the Center for the Study of Violence at the University of São Paulo and the Brazilian Public Security Forum list some points to explain the numbers: Greater organization of criminal groups that sell drugs, thus promoting the reduction of violent crimes; Greater government control and influence over criminals; Settlement of conflicts between factions; Creation of public policy programs focused on combating specific crimes; Reduction in the number of young people in the population; Creation of a federal public security system, changes in the rules for transferring public funds, [17] Even so, a series of problems persist in the country related to the excessive bureaucracy of the justice system,[18] with successive increases in public investment in security forces,[19] but with a lack of organization in the direction of these investments (management and control[20]), especially with a lack of investment in the area of intelligence[21] and also with a lack of investment in crime prevention.

[24][25][26] Several penal reforms have been carried out year after year,[27] since the country's redemocratization (1985), with the objective of promoting the decriminalization and reintegration of prisoners into society,[28] however, in part due to the seriousness of Brazil's social problems and the low effectiveness of the justice system,[29] only the most visible and violent behaviors are punished, especially among the poorest.

The situation has been improving over the past few years thanks to two official projects: Bolsa Escola, by which parents who keep their children in school and with good health receive a small allowance, and FUNDEF, by which municipalities receive federal funds in accordance to the number of children enrolled.

Bolsa Escola was a conditional cash transfer (CCT) program that offered mothers in poor households a monthly stipend if their children ages 6 to 15 attended school on a regular basis.

Infant Mortality Rates by Regions of Brazil (per 1,000 live births) Source: Fundação IBGE, Census of Population, 1991 and 2000.

[40] With a combination of push and pull factors, urban migration to Rio account for over 65% of population growth.

[41] Many city dwellers build their own houses in shanty towns with scrap materials such as iron sheets and wood.

The favelas are not built according to any laws or safety regulations, and thus residents are constantly at risk of being killed in landslides or fires.

[43] Caught in the poverty cycle, families' incomes are structurally limited and as a result they are unable afford proper housing.

Located in the southern area of Rio de Janeiro, it is built on a steep hillside overlooking the city.

[48] The Unified Health System (SUS), created in 1988, aims to serve the entire population free of charge.

This practice can be harmful to the ecosystem, as it increases the risks of erosion, kills microorganisms that live in the soil, removes nutrients and causes atmospheric pollution.

Deforestation harms the ecosystem in different ways, causing erosion, worsening desertification processes, changes in rainfall, reduced biodiversity, silting of rivers, etc.