While Brazilians Represent 3% of the World Population, They Commit 10% of the Murders

In just three weeks in 2015, Brazil had more homicides than all of the deaths in terror attacks recorded worldwide in 2017. The data is part of a report released Monday titled “Violence Atlas.”

According to the report, Brazil was responsible for 10 percent of all murders in the world in 2015. Young Black males accounted for a majority of those deaths.

With the number of fatalities surpassing 59,000 that year alone, the homicide rate in the country reached an exorbitant 29 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

Daniel Cerqueira, a researcher at Brazil’s Institute of Applied Economic Research, pointed out that for every 100 victims, 71 are Black.

“Why doesn’t Brazilian society become more conscious, why doesn’t the Brazilian state become more aware and allocate more resources, like other countries do, to address the terror?” he asked.

In the same breath, he responded, “We live in a very unequal society, one that still harbors a racist history and the people who die are young and black.” He added that most victims have received poor education and are residents of periphery neighborhoods in “large urban centers.”

Cerqueira concluded that this combination of factors breed deadly results for the black community. “There’s a true license to kill in Brazil as long as, obviously, it doesn’t occur in the noble streets of the cities.”

Meanwhile, Samira Bueno, president of the Public Security Forum, noted that it’s possible to change this scenario with proper public planning.

“As much as we’re facing a financial crisis, this does not depend only on resources, it involves coordination, which can begin today. And if the tragedy of 60,000 people murdered every year in Brazil is not prioritized, it ends up having an economic impact on the development of the country,” she said.

Violence Atlas shows that Black female victims face a 22 percent increase in mortality while other races present a 7 percent reduction.

On March 30, Eduarda Maria, a 13-year-old student athlete who attended the Daniel Piza Municipal School in Rio de Janeiro, was fatally shot by police. A video of the police raid also showed the moment two military police shot two men who were already injured and lying on the ground.

The report also demonstrates that some Brazilian states present a significant increase in the deaths of black people. Alagoas, for example, has a black homicide rate 11 times higher than any other ethnic group.

teleSUR

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil's education system is highly stratified, favoring the elite over the general public

Despite Challenges, Brazil Strives for Success in Its Education Goals

Perhaps nothing better characterizes the recent trend in the Brazilian education system than Bolsonaro’s ...

A woman in a favela in São Paulo holds up a facemask (Reuters/A. Perobelli)

Brazil’s 13 Million Favela Residents Forced to Fight Coronavirus by Themselves

When the novel coronavirus began spreading in Brazil, it was predominantly wealthy people who ...

At age 78, Grandma of Brazil becomes an influencer of fashion and behavior on Instagram

Near Octogenarian, Brazilian Grandma Hits Big as Influencer on Social Media

Izaura Demari draws so much attention wherever she goes that some have even asked: ...

Loggers cutting Amazon's giant trees

The Revocation of Brazil’s Pro-Deforestation Decree Has No Teeth

On August 23, 2017, Brazil’s president Michel Temer issued a decree revoking the RENCA ...

Armed police raid a slum in Rio de Janeiro

In Shock, World Asks for Probe Over Police Massacre in Rio’s Favela

The United Nations said it was “deeply disturbed” by the killings of 28 people ...

An old quilombola lady from Bahia, in the Brazilian northeast

Descendants of Runaway Slaves the Latest Victims of Brazil’s Rush to End Social Protections

With the recent onslaught of initiatives launched by Brazil’s wealthy ruralist elite to undo ...