OCAS (Brazil) 04 May 2019
Decades pass by, but the treatment that homeless people receive from the government has failed to progress. For those who live on the streets, extermination, threat of expulsion, or the offer of a bus ticket to leave the city is the reality. (461 Words) - By Mariana Schreiber and Luciano Rocco
Photo courtesy of OCAS
In Rio de Janeiro, operations to take homeless people off the
streets are criticised
Decades pass by, but the treatment that homeless people receive
from the government is not much different from what they have
received in the past. History repeats itself: for those who live on
the streets, the reality is extermination, threat of expulsion, or
the offer of a bus ticket to leave the city.
OCAS interviewed a homeless couple, Claudia and Artur (fictitious
names), in the city centre of Rio de Janeiro two years ago - Arthur
says that they have been harassed several times by the 'Operacao
Choque de Ordem' (Operation Shock of Order), undertaken by the
current administration of Rio de Janeiro.
"They approach us with no respect, and they beat on us. We are on
the streets not because we want to, but because we only get
occasional jobs, and it is difficult to get a proper job while you
are homeless." Artur and Claudia say they are often woken up at
dawn by the agents, surrounding them like savage animals, and taken
to the Central of Adults and Families. All of this hassle just to
take their names, dates of birth and then let them walk back to the
streets. They also illustrate that during this operation the agents
take the homeless people's belongings, throw them into a truck and
take off.
Interviewed by OCAS, the city hall's secretariat responsible for
"Choque de Ordem" denied all of this information, and affirmed that
their agents are instructed to treat these people with full
respect, and that the sole purpose of "Choque de Ordem" is to curb
the city's homeless population. However, research on news sites and
on the city hall's website confirm that these operations confiscate
belongings of the homeless population and have the police's
participation.
Marcia Gatto, who coordinates the River Child Network, worries that
the future events in Rio, as the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics
in 2016, will cause further rise of displacements. She recalls that
it was common the extermination of homeless youngsters at the time
of completion of the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development in Rio (Eco-92).
The Municipal Secretary of Social Welfare, Fernando William, says
the government is investing R$ 26 million to create more 500 places
in shelters and to provide care staff training for the homeless
people.
During interviews over the phone the secretary has repeatedly
called those who criticize the actions of the "Choque de Ordem"
hypocrites, because these same people also complain when they have
someone living on their street. He also says that a firm approach
is required, as some people living on the streets have involvement
with crime, and so they react with violence to the operation.
Please credit article as follows:
Originally published by OCAS (Brazil). © www.streetnewsservice.org