Brazil

Brazil has a historical legacy of violence. Daring the Portuguese colonization, Brazilian Indians, and later African slaves, were punished with lashings, beatings, and death. Throughout the country’s history, opponents of the government have been tortured and/or killed. Only during the last decade have Human Rights complaints been addressed. Brazil’s relatively recent change from a primarily rural to an urban society has added to strains caused by poverty, as cities struggle to accommodate an influx of immigrants from the countryside. A social war between classes, the power of drug lords and organized crime, and widespread corruption in the justice system, have put Brazilians under siege. Stories of police torture and abuses by guards in prison are frequently on the news. All of these forces have an impact on how families deal with conflict and violence.