Unfortunately, living in Brazil can be a bit dangerous even if you are not a tourist.  According to a recent study, Brazil has two cities in the top 10 most dangerous cities in the world and fifteen cities in the top 50 - the most of any country.  I felt safe last year living in Ilhéus, BA because I lived in a smaller city and spent most of my time in my neighborhood community where everybody knows everybody.  This year, however, I live in Belém, one of the largest cities in Brazil by population and the main hub in the north of the country.  Out of all of the places where I have lived and traveled, living here has definitely felt the most unsafe.


Although the polls and studies focus on violent crimes and homicides, most residents consider Belém to be dangerous because of muggings and theft.  I have not met a single person here who hasn't been mugged at least once and many students have been robbed several times.  I have talked with many students about what normally happens in these incidents and it tends to be this: someone approaches you with a knife or a gun when there is nobody else around and demands everything you have.  Most of the students I talk to say that when they get robbed they "don't feel afraid but rather they feel helpless and very angry."

About three weeks ago, I was walking home with two other Americans and we were approached by two men with knives.  The men had pieces of cardboard in their hands that shielded the knives from anyone else on the street.  They wanted our money and our cell phones.  I had my cell phone hidden in my clothes but since I had just come from the university, I had my backpack.  We gave them what we had and they ended up giving me my backpack back saying that they "didn't want books."  I didn't end up losing anything, but the other girls lost their phones.  The incident was traumatic, frustrating and a huge reality check for what daily life is really like here.



This same situation happened yesterday to one of the German students living in our house while he was on his way back from the market and is just another reminder of the never-ending problem of crime in the city.  This affects my daily life in a number of ways.  When I walk around, I always have my cell phone hidden in my bra.  I never take my computer out of the house and only carry things I am willing to lose in my backpack with me.  If I happen to be carrying more than about $10, I divide it into two separate stashes.  According to everyone here, the most important thing about being mugged is that you have to give them something.

I wouldn't say that I live in fear here, but I do live in a state of hyper-awareness of the people and situations around me.  When I walk, I scan peoples' faces and clothes to see what kind of person they are and I am always watching to see what they have in their hands.  I don't like leaving the house at certain times of the day when the streets are dead and I have to take taxis a lot more than I'd like to.  I dress very casual and carry things in plastic shopping bags instead of in a purse.  Above all, I have a significant appreciation for what it means to feel safe and how this feeling is so easy to take for granted.  In eight more months I get to return to Holland, Michigan, a place where some people don't even lock their doors at night, but for the permanent residents of Belém, they will continue figuring out ways to deal with the ever present threat of violence and crime in their city for a long time yet to come.

2 comments

1. Julia john on January 3, 2017 at 8:14 PM

   Thanks for sharing these details.It is really hard to live in a city where crime rate is high. Top ten most dangerous cities

    
2. Daniel on January 24, 2017 at 9:45 AM

   these stats and figures are good if it is matched with this list most dangerous cities in the world - funklist