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Published in Tuesday December 21st, 2010
In In the media
December, 21st
Raquel Rolnik
Within the past week, the Olymipic plan for the city of Rio de Janeiro has revealed a strong ambiguity in the quality of large urban development
projects. Investments in public infrastructure, transport and sporting facilities arrive at the same pace as regrettable episodes of basic human rights violations and disrespect for the human condition.
In the West Zone of Rio, since December 15th, horror and tension have characterized the experience of countless families. Reports received from residents, on-lookers and the Public Defenders of Rio de Janeiro detail the abuse of power and state of exception which has been established along the edges of Av. das Américas, which cuts through the communities of Vila Recreio II, Vila Harmonia and Restinga do Recreio dos Bandeirantes.
Within the past week, the Olymipic plan for the city of Rio de Janeiro has revealed a strong ambiguity in the quality of large urban development projects. Investments in public infrastructure, transport and sporting facilities arrive at the same pace as regrettable episodes of basic human rights violations and disrespect for the human condition.
The following video is an excerpt from a recording made one of these mornings in which the machines advanced over homes in the community of Restinga.
Early this month, the Seminar “Mega-events: Urban Impacts and Human Rights Violations” was promoted by the mandate of the Special Rapporteur in São Paulo. Representatives of civil society organizations of the World Cup 2014 future host cities in Brazil as well as researchers from Greece, South Africa and the United Kingdom were present. A filme specially released for the event by Miloon Kothari (former Rapporteur until 2008) and Shivani Chaudhry – both from the Housing and Land Rights Network – on the Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi, India, was also screened. A workshop was held at the end of the event with representatives of organizations and social movements of World Cup 2014 host cities. We formed a network to monitor, mobilize and promote a human rights agenda in the context of the World Cup and Olympic Games in Brazil.
By Simon Kuper Hosts need to understand what a World Cup is: a party – it is fun, but costs money On Sunday Dilma Rousseff will probably be voted president of Brazil. Soon afterwards she should get on her plane and visit the poor South African town of Nelspruit. There she will see the football stadium […]
For the past 20 years, the roughly 1000 families that live in Vila Autódromo, a low-income community in western Rio de Janeiro, have been fighting off eviction.
Olympic Games, Soccer World Cups, Pan-American Games and other major sporting events provide unique opportunities for the reorganization of urban space. But the millions and oft times billions invested do not always result in a fairer city with improved housing conditions. The Rapporteur’s next report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in March […]
GENEVA – “Olympic Games, World Cup, Winter Games and other events of this nature offer great opportunities to reorganize the urban space,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, this Monday 8 March, during the presentation of her annual report* to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
GENEVA – The UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, will share with the press her report on the impact of “mega-events” in the realization of the right to adequate housing on Monday 8 March at a press conference at the UN Headquarters in Geneva.
