Crime is a top concern ahead of Brazil’s October presidential election; Rio residents use a former traffickers’ podcast, free martial-arts classes and job training to steer youth from gangs. Residents and experts say armed police tactics are ineffective and often deadly.
01 Sobreviventes, launched in 2024, features former traffickers discussing their pasts and has more than 225,000 Instagram followers. Abraco Campeao offers free boxing, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and capoeira, plus educational talks, and has capacity for 600 students. R3 provides psychological assistance and free electricity, refrigeration and English courses.
After police killed her 17-year-old son Cleyverson in 2022, Nadia dos Santos redirected his community project toward jobs and training for people under 26; funding limits have left it at occasional events. Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro promises to loosen organized crime’s grip, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva argues for a larger federal role and better coordination among government institutions. Rio’s deadliest-ever police operation killed more than 120 people last year.
