ABSTRACT
Violence is ubiquitous in Brazil. Extermination of street children, police participation in death squads and crime rings, and violent land conflicts are the kinds of law-and-order headlines that reoccur at a disturbing rate. Homicides are the number one cause of death for 15-44-year-olds in Brazil, surpassing killings by disease or accident (UNCHR 2007). For citizens of Brazil, fear of violence is exacerbated by widespread anxiety over predatory police forces and unresponsive governments.
