Brazils main newspapers ran headline stories yesterday on a study by the Brazilian statistical institute IBGE that reveals a dramatic increase in violence throughout the country over the past 20 years.
"The Brazilian Civil War," "Violence kills 30,000 a year in Brazil", "Violence devastates Brazilian youth," and "A country massacred" were some of yesterdays front-page headlines. According to the daily O Globo, violence in Brazil is three times more deadly than the war in Iraq, where an estimated 10,000 died in one year; it has also, said the newspaper, claimed more than twice the number of victims than the war in Angola, which lasted 27 years and left more than 350,000 dead.
In 20 years, the homicide rate for males increased from 21.2 to 49.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. The increase occurred primarily during the 90s. During the 1980s traffic accidents were the principal external cause of deaths.
According to IBGE, Rio de Janeiro is the most violent state. Nation-wide, the firearm mortality rate for males was 30.9 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2000. The number skyrockets to 181.6 per 100,000 inhabitants for the state of Rio de Janeiro.
From 1991 to 2000, the firearm mortality rate for males age 15 to 24 increased 95%. In 2000, the category represented 57.1% of the total number of deaths due to external causes. "We managed to diminish the infant mortality rate in order for our youth to die stupid deaths" said demographer and IBGE study co-ordinator Celso Simões to O Globo.
"The problem is a lack of opportunities for youth age 15 to 24 years. They dont have jobs and out-of-school rates are high for this age group. They are alone in the world, and easy prey for criminals. Rio de Janeiro is open territory," said the researcher.
"Violence against youth in Brazil is an epidemic"
The numbers released by IBGE will back up a request made by the Brazilian NGO Viva Rio to the federal government: to prioritise attending to at-risk youth, especially those that live in low-income areas in the countrys largest cities.
"Violence against youth is an epidemic and it is wiping out a generation. The problem, however, is much more grave. Today, there are thousands of young people acting as protagonists of violence," said sociologist and Viva Rio Co-ordinator Rubem César Fernandes.
Viva Rio has sent a study to the federal government pointing out the existence of 30,000 young people participating in armed violence in Rio de Janeiro. With little hope of finding a job or continuing their studies, these youth are easily co-opted by crime, becoming both the victims and protagonists of violence. "First, it is necessary to recognise the existence of these armed youth. From there, we have to come up with policies to re-insert them into legitimate society," says the sociologist.
Prevention needed
The study shows that the group most at risk of violence is made up of youth living in urban areas with a high population density (the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, for example, represents 75% of the states population), with little schooling, few recreational options, from unstable families and with poor access to health services (according to 2002 data, Brazils Southeast region, considered the most violent, had the fewest number of hospital beds available in the public health system).
The Jornal do Brasil, from Rio de Janeiro, highlighted data from the study showing the large number of non-traditional families in Rio de Janeiro. "In the state, less than half of families (44.4%) fall within the conventional model, comprising of a father, mother and children. The data shows that today, throughout the country, 14.6 million families are headed by a woman".
For Celso Simões, violence coincides with the ongoing Brazilian economic crisis. "High unemployment rates are associated with high levels of violence. As such, public policies to insert these young people into the labour market and to provide education are necessary," said Simões, pointing out that young people are also attracted to crime as a means to attain consumer goods.
Sources: O Globo (Antonio Werneck, Chico Otavio and Letícia Helena*), Jornal do Brasil, Correio Braziliense.
