Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Argentinian Tourist Raped After Visiting Daughters

Globo reported on September 3, 2013 that a 55-year old Argentinian tourist was raped in Buzios, Rio de Janeiro after visiting her daughters. Police located the suspect, a 31-year old man, after descriptions were given of the vehicle used. The victim was hospitalized after being found disoriented and with injuries. Read Article

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Violence Increases in Tourist Areas of City

Terra reported on September 1, 2013 that tourist areas in the city of Rio de Janeiro have showed an increase in violence due to the theft. The Public Security Institute reported the areas of Santa Teresa and Lapa to show a recorded high index of robberies. However, these areas are not on the top of […]

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Piaui, Brazil: High Number of Deaths in City Related to Drug Trafficking

Globo reported on August 28, 2013 that out of 154 deaths in the city of Teresina, 89 murders were related to drug trafficking activity. Police report the violence is due to increased seizures. The drug dealers are fighting for control of drug outlets, mainly cocaine that comes from other states. Innocent people, especially teenagers, fall […]

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Brazil: President states violence against blacks and the poor to be most critical issues

Globo reported on August 5, 2013 that President Dilma stated in a speech at the Presidential Palace that violence against young blacks and the poor is one of the most potent issues in Brazil today. Her statement is a reflection of the recent disappearance of Mason Amarildo Souza who went missing in the Rochina favela […]

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Increased Presence of Traffickers Raises Fear Amongst Community Residents

On July 2, 2013 Globo reported that the level of fear for residents of Morro da Covanca in Rio de Janeiro has increased as the number of criminals and traffickers in the community has risen. Many residents claim they are being forced out of their homes and of the community and are afraid to address […]

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 5,500 People Protest in Favela Against Police Violence

Terra reported on July 2, 2013 that 5,500 residents of the Maré favela in Rio de Janeiro protested in the street against a police operation last week that killed 10 people. Protesters are demanding a formal apology from the state governor as well as an end to violent operations between criminals and police in these […]

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Brazil: Resolution Passed to Ban Use of Certain Weapons During Protests

Terra reported on June 18, 2013 that the Council of Defense of Human Rights approved a resolution to ban the use of firearms and restricted weapons of low lethality during public events. Other weapons banned include tear gas and pepper spray. This resolution will attempt to ensure and protect human rights while also encourage non-violence […]

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Brazil Will Host UN Committee on Urban Violence in Latin America

Globo reported on June 16, 2013 that two Brazilian jurists will lead a committee by the United Nations this October in Rio de Janeiro, whose mission is to control and offer solutions in regards to increased urban violence in Latin America. The committee will include representatives from 19 countries. The committee will have 18 months […]

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Man Shot After Mistakenly Entering Favela

br.noticias.yahoo.com reported on June 9, 2013, that an engineer by the name Gil Augusto Gomes Barbosa, was shot in the head on Saturday morning after mistakenly entering the Vila do João favela in the Complexo da Maré in the city of Rio de Janeiro. According to the Civil Police, the man mistakenly entered the favela […]

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Maceio, Brazil: Suspect in Favela Arrested for Murder Accusations

Globo reported on May 30, 2013 that the National Police Force and Homicide Division in Maceio arrested a suspect known as “Monster” in Favela Mundaú. Cristiano Silva dos Santos, who goes by the name “Monster”, is accused of viciously murdering at least 20 people in the favela. Other members of his gang have been detained. […]

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Shooting at “Run for Peace” Street Race

On May 27, 2013, Globo reported that a shooting occurred at the “Run for Peace” street race in the Alemão favela in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday (26). The shooting lasted about five minutes and shots were fired prior to commencement of the event. A spokesperson stated 2,300 people registered for the race while only […]

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Pará, Brazil: 14-Year Old Boy Detained for Killing Teen Girlfriend

Globo reported on May 14, 2013, that a 14-year old boy was detained for stabbing to death his 13-year old girlfriend in New Repartimento, Pará. The murder was due to jealously and the victim was stabbed 15 times. The suspect denied the charge although police claim strong evidence directly leads to his involvement. Read Article

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São Paulo, Brazil: Database Created to Track Pedophiles

On May 14, 2013, noticias.r7.com reported the Civil Police of the state of São Paulo created a database to track and locate pedophiles in São Paulo. The database includes personal information about the suspect, a photograph, details about the crime and information about the victims. The database is meant to decrease the number of cases […]

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Two Bolivian girls rescued from human trafficking in Argentina

Two Bolivian girls were rescued by officials in Argentina after discovering they were the victims of human trafficking. One, who was forced to do menial jobs, was found in fragile health. She had been abused and subjected to violence. She was found inside a hospital in the Patagonia after an extensive search, El Siglo reports. […]

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Buenos Aires, Argentina: Femicide numbers increasing

Recent research investigations conducted by member of The Observatory on Femicide Civil Society, Marisel Adriana Zambrano, has discovered a large number of women and girls murdered in domestic violence situations in 2011. 282 women and girls died of victims in domestic violence situations in the hands of their boyfriends, spouses, or partners. According to Univision.com, […]

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Colombia Compensates Victims of Violence

Today, President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia passed 5 decrees in regulation of the Law of Victims to come into effect January 1st of next year. According to prensa-latina.cu, the reparations will particularly go to those planning to invest in education, living, or other productive endeavors. The law hopes to convince victims to cooperate with […]

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Gunmen kill a woman in Pasacaballos, Colombia

Marticela Moreno Pérez, mother of 7, was shot three times a few meters away from family members, El Universal reports. The gunmen left in a red motorcycle. One person resulted wounded in the shooting as well, Alberto Avila Julio, 24. Both were taken to a hospital in Cartagena, where the woman was pronounced dead. The […]

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Tumaco, Colombia ravaged by violence and drug-trafficking

Extortions, hit-men, and drug trafficking are the main contributers of violence in the port-town of Tumaco, El Pais reports. Despite this, authorities assure that the problem is decreasing; yet, locals disagree with that statement. For the last few months ago the community has been run by armed men that decide who deserves to live, who […]

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Half of the Students in Colombia Suffer from School Violence

•According to a study by UNESCO, half of the students in Colombia suffer from violence in school, and that it affects more students with poorer performance in reading and mathematics. •The RCN La Radio article states that the violence and abuse is divided into different areas: theft with 39.4% of the violence, verbal abuse with […]

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Authors: “Mexico Doesn’t Protect its Journalists” from Drug War

In an interview with Público, two Mexican writers, Luis Humberto Crosthwaite and Hector de Mauleón, spoke about the effect of the war on drugs on journalism in Mexico. Both have written books on the subject. They say that journalism has turned into a high-risk profession and that there are parts of the country in which […]

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Argentina: Fourth death confirmed in Jujuy land clash

A fourth death was confirmed this morning after a land eviction operation that went awry yesterday in Libertador General San Martin, Jujuy, reports infobae.com. Police in Jujuy were under court order to evict some 700 families from their land located on territory owned by Ledesma Sociedad Anónima Agrícola Industrial, Argentina’s largest sugar producer. When families […]

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Portoviejo, Ecuador: 30 Months, 5 People Shot, Killed in El Rodeo Prison

According to ElUniverso.com between January of 2009 and July 2011 five people have been killed at gunpoint in the correction facility of El Rodeo. Officials say during this time seven people have been seriously injured. This report comes after five people were injured on Friday, July 22nd in what officials say was a gang confrontation. […]

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Mexico: 55 Police Officers Murdered in Sinaloa in 2011

The body of the Angostura Municipal Police Chief was found alongside a highway in that same city, the latest in a string of violent crimes against police in Sinaloa, according to El Universal. In Sinaloa, 55 police officers have been murdered to date in 2011, the second-highest police homicide rate in the country. First belongs […]

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Mexico: Two Police Officers Lynched in Chiapas

Two police officers and one civilian were killed in the village of San Cristobalito in Chiapas after an incensed indigenous group forced their vehicle off a 200-meter cliff, El Universal reports. Two Ministerial police officers and two civilians arrived in the village to arrest a man presumably involved in an automobile robbery. The suspect ran […]

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FARC’s Relocation Causes More Violence to Cauca, Colombia

•The Cauca department in Colombia has experienced more violence than usual due to FARC’s relocation to the Cordillera Central in Colombia. •The indigenous people of the area are suffering the consequences and are being controlled by FARC’s guerillas according to Rodrigo Rojas, a representative of Pax Cristhi per RCN Radio. •Rojas states that the indigenous […]

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4 People Die in Massacre in Montelibano, Córdoba, Colombia

•According to Caracol Radio, Police attribute the massacre in Montelibano, Córdoba, in which 4 people died, to Los Urabeños. •General Oscar Naranjo of the Colombian National Police believes that the attack was related to violence between narcotics trafficking groups. •Héctor Páez Valderrama, commander of Córdoba’s police, the attack involved violence between Los Urabeños and Los […]

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Ecuador’s Increasing Crime Scares Women

ElComercio.com reports that recent cases of violence against women in Ecuador have created increased fear for Ecuadorian women. Officials say they do not have specific statistics about homicides of women in Ecuador, however 84 murders and assassinations were reported in Quito from January to April of 2011. Officials add that most violence against women occur […]

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More Than 100,000 March in Chile for Free, Improved Public Education

According to ElComercio.com today, Thursday June 30th in Santiago, Chile more than 100,000 people marched through the streets demanding improvement of the public education system, including lowering costs in Chile. The peaceful marchers made their way to the Ministry of Education and the Presidential Palace. This is one of the largest protests in the last […]

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Mexican Lynching Survivor Speaks Out: “They Left Us to Die”

The lone survivor of a lynching that left two men dead in 2004 is speaking out about his experience for the first time in an interview with El Universal. On November 24, 2004, three members of the Federal Preventive Police (PFP) went to San Juan Ixtayopan to investigate radical groups, but the people in the […]

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Mexico: Two Zapatistas Kidnapped and Tortured Over Land Dispute in Chiapas

The Zapatista committee of good government (JBG) of Morelia denounced aggressive actions and attempts to dispossess Zapatista supporters of their lands made by members of the Regional Organization of Coffee Growers in Ocosingo (Orcao), La Jornada reports. The conflict began June 10 when Orcao members pressured and threatened a Zapatista supporter to change allegiances. Over […]

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Mexican Journalists Work in Climate of Terror

Journalists in Mexico trying to preserve the freedom of the press in the face of organized crime and widespread corruption are increasingly becoming victims of threats and violence, ANSA reports. The Attorney General’s office shows that between 2006 and 2009, 74 cases of violence (or threats of violence) were reported against journalists, with torture becoming […]

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17 Violent Deaths in Sinaloa, Mexico in the Last 24 Hours

A total of 17 violent deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, the state’s Attorney General has said. According to UPI, among the dead are three brothers in the town of Guamúchil and a man who was found in an illegal grave in Ahome. Most were victims […]

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Emos Cause Public Disorder in Kennedy, Bogotá Colombia

•The residents of the Kennedy sector in Bogotá, Colombia report that over 100 young people of the “emo” group have been causing fights and disturbing the peace. •They reside in the park of the barrio Techo as they are reportedly being pursued by other groups. •As Caracol Radio reports, the group of young people attempted […]

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Colombian Clergy and Bacrim Hold Peaceful Dialogues

•Caracol Radio reports that Monseñor Julio Cesar Vidal has been participating in a dialogue with the emerging criminal bands, the Bacrim, in order to discuss reduced violence and terms of peace. •Bishops and other members of the Colombian clergy support Monseñor Vidal’s efforts. •Monseñor Serna feels that the Bacrim should be able to peacefully surrender […]

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Ecuador and Venezuela Receive Most Colombian Refugees

•Various studies state that over 2 million Colombians are living outside of Colombia against their will as refugees of violence, and there is even a day dedicated to refugees. •State policies of Latin American countries promise these refugees rights and protections, but they tend to arrives in areas already ridden with problems. •El Espectador’s article […]

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Video: Attempted Lynching in Mexico City

A large mob in one of Mexico City’s neighborhood’s attempted to lynch four accused criminals as they were being taken away by police, Estado de Mexico reports. A number of people were left with minor injuries, but no one was killed.

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Former ELN Member Searches for the Remains of Her Brother, Colombia

•Luz Agüelo, from San Francisco, Antioquia, Colombia was forced into the ELN and trained as a nurse among other occupational skills needed by the group. •They would take children to join their organization and escaped according to desentranando-colombia.periodismohumano.com. •San Francisco, Antioquia is one of the places most heavily afflicted by the armed conflict. •According to […]

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11 die in a rehabilitation center massacre in Coahuila, Mexico

According to Proceso magazine, at least 11 died and two were injured Tuesday evening at the La Victoria Rehabilitation Center for Alcoholics and Drug Addicts in Torreón, a city in the state of Coahuila, Mexico. Two armed men reportedly forced their way into the center and opened fire in various rooms of the building. Some […]

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U.S. map labels Zacatecas, Mexico as very dangerous for tourists

U.S. security authorities and businesses are warning travelers to avoid the Mexican states of Sonora, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Jalisco and Nayarit. Many online sources, including Samuel Logan’s “Traveler Safety in Mexico” map, outline the most high-risk locations for U.S. tourists. This map indicates that half of the territory of Zacatecas is unsafe due to […]

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