e
essential guide
M o d e r n
INT1&2
S t u d i e s
Starting point
The best place to start is by looking at the SQA
arrangements - what the examiners say you should be
studying. This lets you know what you need to revising
for unit assessments and the final exam.
So what do the arrangements say then?
2
of
the
main
regional
and
cultural
features
of
 You will need to know all the main regions and what their similarities and differences are.
Also what is the political system like as well as the main features of culture - food, religion
+ sport. You need to know where all the large population centres are and why there is
increasing urbanisation. Remember to look at the economic overview of Brazil.
Social and economic issues in Brazil: inequalities in
lifestyles in terms of wealth, health, housing, education,
amenities, law and order. Responses to these inequalities:
federal, state and other organisations. Land ownership and use
issues; trade, aid and foreign debt.
b)
 This section is all about the inequalities in Brazil- the unequal distribution of wealth, the
problems faced by teachers + women as well as the poor health care and a lack of law
and order. All the economic problems facing Brazil and how they came about.
Human rights issues in Brazil:
government and global responses.
c)
human
rights
issues
and
 This section is all about the different groups and how they have had their human rights
abused e.g. street children, prisoners, trade unionists etc. You need to know how their
rights have been abused, why and what (if anything) has been done to try and stop these
abuses.
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Profile
Brazil.
a)

Study Theme 7: Issues in an Emerging Nation - Brazil
SECTION 1A
Introduction to Brazil
Official Title: Federative Republic of Brazil
largest country in South America
5th largest country in the world
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3
Population:
the world.)
169 799 170 ((Census 2000) - 5th largest in
182.8 million (((UN, 2005)))
Capital:
Brasilia
Area:
8.55 million sq km (3.3 million sq miles)
Major language: Portuguese
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 66 years (men), 74 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 real = 100 centavos
Main exports:
Manufactured goods, iron ore, coffee, oranges, other
agricultural
produce
GNI per capita: US $3,090 (World Bank, 2005)
Internet domain:
.br
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4
SECTION 1B
 Regions of Brazil
There are five main regions of Brazil. You need to know them and their main features!
NORTH
NORTH EAST
 Population: 12.9 million
 Mostly covered in tropical rain
forest
 River Amazon flows through region
 Main cities: Manans & Belem
 Government trying to stop
destruction of rain forest
 Climate: Equatorial - hot
 Produces 5% of Brazil’s wealth
 Population: 47.7 million
 Main cities: Fortaleza, Recife &
Salvador
 Region has important oil fields
 Large areas subject to drought
 Climate: semi arid- desert like.
 Produces 14% of Brazil’s wealth
WEST CENTRAL
SOUTH
SOUTH EAST









 Population: 72.4 million
 Main cities: Sao Paulo, Rio de
Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and
Vitoria
 Highly industrialised region
 Main economic area of Brazil
 Rich in minerals
 Advanced agriculture (especially
coffee)
 Climate: tropical and altitude
Population: 11.6 million
Main cities: Brasilia
Few people live here but;
Has experienced rapid growth in
industry and agriculture
 Large areas set aside for Native
Brazilians
 Climate: tropical
 Produces 17% of Brazilian wealth
Population: 25.1 million
Main cities: Porto Alegre
Highly developed region
Cowboy territory
Ignacu Falls and largest
hydroelectric dam Itaipu
 Climate: sub-tropical- cool with
distinct seasons
 Produces 5% of Brazil’s wealth
tropical
 Produces 59% of Brazil’s wealth.
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6
SECTION 1C
 Population of Brazil
 Brazil’s population is not equally distributed
BRAZIL POPULATION 2000
TOTAL (millions)
North
North East
South East
South
West Central
169.8
12.9
47.7
72.4
25.1
11.6
Rank
4
2
1
3
5
Population Age
 Most populated areas are along the coastline
 Brazil has high birth rates
Structure
 More people are moving to the large cities
(urbanisation) eg. Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, 0-14
years
Salvador etc
28.57%%
WHY?

There are more jobs in the cities
because of the growth of
manufacturing and service industry.

They are looking for better paid
jobs, factory workers earn three
times as much as farm workers.

Access to better services education, medical care and housing
are all better.

People think that they will be better
housed and have a better ‘quality of
life’.


Attraction of urban lifestyle.
15-64 years
65.98%%
65+ years
5.45%%
Some rural areas face environmental problems - eg. droughts in North
East region of Brazil.
Ethnic Composition
19.5%
The ethnic composition of Brazil reflects a complicated mix
Mesticos
NATIVES
EUROPEANS
integrated
with
immigrant
groups
Mulattos
19.5%
Portugal
(Italy, Poland +
Germany
54%
JAPAN
AFRICANS
6%
MIDDLE
EAST
2000 000
.3%
8

2000 000
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.7%
SECTION 1D
 Brazilian Political System
Note: You will not get a question on the Political System BUT you may need
to make reference to it when answering questions on other topics.
Background
1549 - 1815
1815 - 1822
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1822 - 1889
1889 - 1930
1930 - 1945
1945 - 1964
1964 - 1985
1985 Present
Colony (governed from Portugal)
United with Brazil
Independent country ruled by
monarch
Democratic republic
Military dictatorship
Democratic republic
Military dictatorship
Democratic Federal Republic

Organisation of the Brazilian Political
System
The
1988 Constitution sets out how Brazil is
governed.
 Brazil is a federal republic - it has a national government, with each of
the five regions having a state government.
 Brazil is a multi-party democracy
 Head of state (or head of government) is the President
There are three parts to the government;
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Who can vote?
 16 + 17 year olds
voting
 18 - 70 year olds
voting
 70 + + year olds
voting
Political Parties
voluntary
compulsory
voluntary
 Most political parties are young
 They tend to lack strong roots,
support and coherent policies
 Many elected representatives often
switch political parties
 Most politicians are virtually
unaccountable
f PROFILE
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
President of Brazil since
January 2003
1
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a former shoeshine boy and metal worker, became
Brazil's first left-wing president in four decades when he beat his
government-backed rival by a wide margin in the October 2002 elections.
Celebrations broke out across Brazil, with supporters of the man popularly
known as Lula saying they now had real hopes of a better life for all
Brazilians. At his inauguration, he promised to make ending hunger his main
goal during his presidency.
Lula also pledged to tackle corruption and Brazil's economic woes, improve
education and create jobs. But he urged patience, warning that it might not
be possible to fulfil his campaign promises in his initial four-year term.
Though hailed by his supporters as a working-class hero, business leaders
and investors have traditionally been wary of Lula. In his fourth attempt
to win the presidency he toned down his rhetoric and emphasised that he and
his party had moved closer to the political centre. He also pledged to meet
targets set by the International Monetary Fund.
Lula oversaw a stabilisation of the economy during his first months in
office, surprising some of his critics. He implemented pension reforms in
an effort to reduce a huge deficit, and pushed through a modest increase in
the minimum wage. But he has had to contend with a surge of land invasions
by activists frustrated at what they see as the slow pace of agrarian
reform.
In 2005 his popularity was hit by claims of corruption in the ruling party,
focusing on a cash-for-votes scheme in Congress. The president made a
televised apology and said he had known nothing about the alleged
corruption.
Lula was born in 1945 in the impoverished northeast of Brazil. His family
moved to Sao Paulo when he was seven and he left school at 14 to become a
metal worker.
In the 1970s, Lula honed his political skills as a fiery union leader in
the industrial suburbs of Sao Paulo. He went on to help found the left-wing
Workers' Party.
SECTION 1E
 Economy and Employment
 Brazil is the 10th largest economy in the world.
 The economy was originally based on agriculture;
 But new industries have been developed in the last 40 years
PRODUCE
 sugar
 coffee
 oranges
 (Brazil is the
largest producer of
these industries)
NEW INDUSTRIES
 textiles
 clothing
 food processing
 steel : (8th largest
producer in the world)
 motor cars : (9th
largest producer in the
world)
 aircraft manufacturing :
(6th
largest producer in the
world)
 growing white goods
industry (fridge’s,
washing machines, TV’s
etc)
 growing technology
market electronics & computers
 oil & gas fields have
been located
off shore from Rio de
Janeiro
FOR EXPORT
 soya
 cocoa
 cotton
 tobacco
 maize
 various fruits & nuts
traditional
industries are
located mainly in
the South East
region
FOR DOMESTIC MARKET
 rice
 sorghum
 beans
others of note
 cattle ranching on
the vast plains of
the South and North
East regions
 timber felled from
the rainforests
 Most large industry concentrated in the South and South East
regions.
 North East region is traditionally the poorest part of Brazil - BUT
is attracting new investment.
‘Brazilian Miracle’
 Huge investment in Brazil between 1950’s and 1970’s
 State run companies established for major industries e.g. oil,
steel, communications and electricity
 Petrobras (1953) to develop Brazil’s oil reserves
 Itiapu Dam Hydro-electric Power Scheme with Paraguay produces
25% of Brazils electricity
12

TRADITIONAL
INDUSTRIES
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AGRICULTURAL
 Government borrowed VAST sums of money in the 1970’s to finance
economic development - left Brazil with a HUGE foreign debt.
 The investment allowed new industries in Brazil to emerge
Employment
Brazilian workforce of (estimated) 79 million people [US State
Department: 1999]
% Population working in economy sectors
 Agriculture
 Industry
 Financial Services
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23%%
40%%
24%%
Services Industry
 Brazil has a diverse & sophisticated service industry
 Banking important
 Sao Paulo & Rio de Janeiro stock exchanges undergoing consolidation
The economy since 2002
Signs of improvement
 Brazilian economy still outweigs
that of all other South American
countries.
 GDP ($1,340) higher than that of
Argentina and Mexico.
 Economy has grown by average of
1.10% since 2002 due to
resilience of economic programme
started by President Cardoso and
strengthened by Lula.
 2003 saw a record trade surplus
($2.7 billion) – first since
1992.
Problems
 Domestic debt has increased
since 1994-2003.
 Inflation higher than
Argentina or Mexico.
 Foreign debt still huge.
 The economy may have problems
sustaining growth over a
longer period of time.
 Exports to USA have declined
by 11%.
 Car manufacturing down.
 Unemployment at record high –
20% in Sao Paulo.
SECTION 1F
 Brazilian Culture
Food


Food staples
 arroz (white rice)
 feija (black beans)
 farofel (manioc flour)
combined with
 meat
 chicken
 fish
National dish is the Feijoada
(meat and stew served with rice
and bowl of beans)
Religion


Most Brazilians are Roman
Catholic - over 90%
Brazilians of
African descent
follow
religions of
their ancestors
 candomble
 macumba
 umbanda
 Government has banned some of
these religions
Leisure
 Most popular sport is football
 Two main teams
 Flamengo (supported by poor blacks + mixed races)
 Fluminese (supported by the ‘elite’s’)
 World cup majorly important
 Team reflects the ethnic mix of the country
 World Cup wins in 1958, 1962, 1970 + 1994 & 2002
 Copa America winners 1919, 1922, 1949, 1989, 1997, 1999 and 2004
 Most footballers work abroad in Spain, Italy + Germany
 Other popular sports include
 volleyball
 basketball
 motor racing

Profile of Brazil
 Revision Activity Zone
a
true or false?
TRUE?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
South East produces almost 60% of Brazils wealth, but
less than half the population lives there.
Wages are lower in the cities compared to rural areas.
Brazil is the world’s largest producer of coffee.
The richest region of Brazil is the South.
Brazil is a federal republic.
Politicians in Brazil are largely unaccountable.
Brazil’s constitution is called the ‘1985
Constitution’.
Brazil is the 19th largest economy in the world.
Brazil is becoming an increasingly urban society.
Huge investment between the 1950’s and the 1970’s led
to the so-called ‘Brazilian Miracle’.
The Brazilian government borrowed heavily during the
1970’s to finance huge investment in the country.
Over half the Brazilian workforce are employed in
agriculture.
b
Brazil
FALSE
?
fill in the blanks
is
the
largest
country
in
__________________________________
with
a
population
of
___________________. The country is divided into ____ regions, namely the North, _____________, West Central,
__________________ and the South. The most rural of the regions is the ___________. The South East is heavily
urban with almost ________ million people living there. It is also highly ________________________, and the main
economic area of Brazil. Brazils population is not equally ____________________. Most of the population is
concentrated along the ______ of the country. More people are moving to the large cities, for example
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SECTION 1
14
_________________ and ________________. They hope that they will have a better way of life there with better
access to better _________________. This is rarely the case.
Brazil is a _______________ republic, headed by the _______________. There are three parts to the government,
namely the legislative, ___________ and ___________. The National Congress elects Deputies every _____ years
and Senators every _____ years. For all those aged 18-70 voting is ______________. Most political parties in Brazil
are ________, and lack _____________________, making them largely _____________________.
Brazil is the _____ largest economy in the world. Brazil’s main agricultural products are sugar, ___________ and
____________. The traditional industries of ______________, _____________ and _____________________ are
located in the South East region. New industries such as steel, _________________ and _________________
manufacturing are also majorly important.
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c
heads and tails
Over 90% of Brazilians
The favourite sport of most Brazilians
The main language of Brazil
created a new race called
mesticos
belong to the Roman Catholic
Church
created a new race called
The intermarriage between natives and
Africans
The intermarriage between Europeans and
natives
d
(a)
mulattos
is football
is Portuguese
LO1 Question
Brazil is a country with five main regions. There are many differences between these
regions.
Describe, in detail, differences between the regions of Brazil.
(6 marks)
SECTION 2A
 Inequalities in Wealth
Brazil displays a great contrast in the wealth of the population.
 faevela dwellers
 unemployed
 rural workers
 professionals with large
salaries
 business people in Rio
 Wealth is unevenly distributed 
 Brazil has one of the largest rich/poor gaps in the world
 The gap is widening
Results of Wealth Gap
 26.8% of people in Brazil do not have enough money for basic
necessities - food, clothing and housing
 40 million people are malnourished
 25 million live in informal shanty towns (favelas) near rubbish tips
60 million have no clean water or proper sanitation
Consequences of Poverty
 Many children are abandoned by their parents
 Many children are forced to
 beg on the streets
 become prostitutes
 become involved in crime
 become involved in drugs
Race and Poverty
- ‘the
whiter you are the richer you are’.
 Poor - mainly black or
mulatto
 Rich - mainly white or
mestico
And the wealthy?
 Live in guarded areas
 Driven around by chauffeurs +
bodyguards
16

Wealthy
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Poor
SECTION 2B
 Inequality towards women
Women in Brazil are guaranteed equal rights under the
1988 Constitution- they make up 50% of the population
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 20% of households headed by women
 More women are employed in Brazil than any other Latin American
country
 Women well represented in professions
BUT women have a disadvantaged position in
society







women only make up 35% of Brazils labour force
women still paid on average less than men
women tend to do temporary, part-time, unskilled jobs
women are under-represented in politics
women own only 25% of Brazil’s wealth
husbands can murder unfaithful wives + use ‘honour’ as a defence
domestic violence is common
Tackling Inequality
 1985 - Women’s Police Stations set up. Deal with cases involving
women.
 Women’s groups have started fighting for better rights by forming
community associations.
 Three of Brazils most important trade unions have women’s
departments to promote equality with men.
SECTION 2C
 Inequalities in housing

Wealthy
 live in high rise blocks in the centre of city
 guarded by security guards
 luxurious

Poor
 45% of the population
 live in favelas (makeshift homes, shanty towns)
 close to industrial areas (because of poor transport) along roads +
near rubbish dumps
 lack of basic services - electricity, water + sanitation
 high density- large families live in one room
 disease spreads easily- no running water means typhoid and cholera
are rife
 high unemployment - in some favelas virtually nobody has paid
employment
 no amenities - no schools or health centres because they are illegal
make-shift settlements
Attempts to solve housing problems
 Authorities accept existence of favelas + have added electricity,
water + paved some streets
 Set aside money to improve favela conditions by




widening + formalising streets
laying pavements
laying pipes for water + cables for electricity
improving sanitation, adding health facilities + providing
sports areas
SECTION 2D
 inequalities in education
1988 Constitution: All children between 7 and 14 to
receive a full and adequate education
BUT





2 million children receive no education- no school to go to
Only 20% of children go on to secondary education (ages 15-18)
Lack of schools + educational equipment in rural areas (North etc)
20% of Brazilians can not read or write (illiterate)
Teachers + students angry at a lack of adequate funding for
education (because of debt repayments)
 Teachers are poorly paid - rural teachers earn one quarter of an
urban teacher
Tackling Inequality
Rio de Janiero
Centros Integrados de Educacao Popular (CIEP’s)
 provide an education, 3 meals per day, showers + sports facilities
for the community
 proved to be hugely successful
 Federal government hopes to copy them across Brazil
SECTION 2E
 Crime, Law and Order




Corruption and organised crime rife in Brazil
Poor legal and court system with little respect from the population
Police tend to ignore large scale crime and organised violence
People take justice into their own hands - public lynching
18

upgrading favelas from temporary wooden buildings to brick and
tile
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
 Torture often used by police against prisoners
 Police often accused of corruption
 Car-jacking extremely common in the large cities
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SECTION 2F
 The Debt Crisis
 Brazil has a foreign debt of over $100 billion - the largest of any
developing country
Why?
1980’s
 Brazil ended up in a spiral of debt - all it is doing is paying off
the interest on the debt
 Spending on housing, education, transport and health services has
had to be cut back to pay back the debt
IMF Help
 International Monetary Fund gave Brazil $9 billion rescue package
 Why? - Brazil’s economic problems could plunge the rest of Latin
America into financial turmoil (like the inflation problems in
Argentina)
What effect did this have?
 Allowed raising of interest rates
 Brazilian stock market improved
 The ‘Real’ began to recover strongly
Brazil is starting “to put their house in order” IMF Managing Director
Micheal Camdessus
SECTION 2G
 Amazonia and Native
Brazilians

Western banks loaned money to the Brazilian companies and the 20
government - repayment was guaranteed by the government
World Oil Crisis: oil prices rocketed. Military government
took out new loans to cover increased cost of oil imports
USA increased interest rates - volume of debt increased from
$0.7 billion in 1973 to $64.2 billion in 1980. Military
government refused to seek help
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1950’s +
1960’s
1970’s
Problems
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21
 Rainforests being cleared for cattle
ranching and industry
 Land stripped for mining
 Rivers damned for Hydro-Electric Power
 Wildlife faced with extinction
 Natives exposed to outsiders - culture shock
 International banks invested heavily in the
Amazon area - promoted 10% of the rainforest
to be destroyed
Rural Workers Union
 Opposed development of rainforest
 Organised by Chico Mendes
 Passive resistance - organised large groups
of locals to surround areas threatened with clearance
Results
 Annoyed the developers - they were used to bribing officials for
using hired thugs to get their own way
 They had Mendes assassinated - the man who ordered the killing had
his conviction overturned
The Development of Amazonia
 Development of the Amazon is supported by many politicians e.g.
Gilberto Mestrinho, governor of the Amazonas state
 New huge road planned to open up the area
What for?
 farming
 minerals
 gold
 Hydro-Electric Power (HEP)
Problems




Amazon soil too acidic and unsuited to farming
Land lost because of HEP - land flooded to build dams
Extracting minerals from ground causes major disruption + pollution
Gold prospectors use mercury to extract gold from ore - becomes
washed into the water and causes pollution and becomes a health
hazard
The Burning of the Forest in Amazonia
 caused world-wide outrage
 contributes to ‘global warming’
The Amazon Indians
 200 000 Native Brazilians in Amazon area
 Fundacao Nacional do India FUNIA (The Government Indian Agency) has
the task of protecting Native Amazonian (Indian) areas and providing
health and education services for them. Accused of being patronised
Natives have taken things into their own hands
The Yanomami
 Newly discovered tribe of 18 000
 Stone age society - all implements made of ceramics or stone
 Diet:
 monkey
 tapir
 wild pig
 large insects
 fruit
 yams
 manioc
 Move to new location every few years
 Contact with outsiders have resulted in
deaths from illness - measles, flu + STD’s
 Government forced to severely limit
development in face of massive criticism BUT
many developers ignore this
Threats to Yanomami
Lifestyle
 Discovery of Gold in their area has brought
a huge influx of miners.
 Illness spread by incomers. Have no
resistance to viruses like measles + flu.
 Loss of land to developers - gold miners
moved in and other areas are under threat from burning
 Aggression from incomers - developers often armed + hostile

22
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 Xavante of Matto Grosso - marked out the boundaries of their
reservation and went to Brasilia to lobby FUNIA
 Txcavramae of Xingu region killed 11 agricultural workers who
ventured into their reservation
 1989 First meeting of Indigenous Nations of Xingu held
Social & Economic
Inequalities
SECTION 2
 Revision Activity Zone
a
true or false?
TRUE?
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
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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
FALSE
?
The distribution of wealth in Brazil is extremely unequal
Brazil does not have a large rich/poor gap
Children are frequently forced to beg on the streets
Women face very little inequality in Brazil
Many favelas (shanty towns) lack basic services
There has been no progress on housing inequality
2 million children in Brazil receive no education
Corruption is not a problem in Brazil
Brazil has the largest foreign debt of any country
Native Brazilians have seen their way of life systematically destroyed by
developers
b
fill in the blanks
Wealth is unequally distributed in Brazil. The richest 19% of the population own over
___________________ the wealth. The gap is increasingly _______________________. Race
and _________________ go hand in hand - the old saying being “the whiter you are, the
_____________________ you are.”
Women are guaranteed equal rights but in reality they are still paid _________________ than
men. They are also under- represented in ______________ and own only ___________ of the
nations wealth.
The wealthy live in high rise blocks while the poor live in ____________ where ___________ is
spread easily. They often lack _____________________. Some local councils have tried to
provide amenities in some favelas to improve conditions.
Education is also poor. Because of a lack government _________________ there are not
enough schools. Teachers are low paid. Only ________ of children go on to secondary
education. Brazil was loaned much money in the 1950’s and 1960’s. This has left Brazil with a
huge _______________
_________________ which has crippled the economy. The
__________ has helped rescue the governments finances - but there is not enough money to
spend on housing, _____________ and health.
c
heads and tails
The rainforests are being
The rural workers union have
Anti- developers have been
Development of Amazonia has
Development has caused
Native tribes like the Yanomami have
The Amazon has been developed
environmental problems.
strongly opposed the development of the rainforest.
for farming, minerals + gold mining and HydroElectric power.
cleared for cattle ranching and industry.
been supported by many politicians.
beaten up, intimidated and murdered.
suffered because of the exposure to outsiders e.g.
disease.
d
(a)
LO1 Questions
There are many competing demands made on the Amazon rainforest.
(6 marks)
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(b)
Recent social and economic changes in Brazil have led to increased inequality.
Why have recent social and economic changes in Brazil led to increased inequality?
(8 marks)
(c)
The Brazilian government has to face a number of social problems.
Describe, in detail, the social problems that the Brazilian government has had to deal
with in recent years.
(8 marks)
(d)
The government of Brazil has invested large sums of money to develop the Amazon region.
Explain, in detail, why the government of Brazil has invested large sums of money to develop
the Amazon region.
(6 marks)
(e)
Problems of landless workers are an important issue in Brazil today.
Explain why problems of landless workers are an important issue in Brazil today.
(f)
(8 marks)
In Brazil there are many problems linked to land ownership.
Describe, in detail, the problems linked to land ownership in Brazil.
(8 marks)
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Describe, in detail, the different demands made on the Amazon rainforest.
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SECTION 3
 Human Rights issues in
Brazil
The human rights of various groups in
Brazil have been violated.
Human Rights Abuse
 Workers have been prevented from unionising through
 intimidation
 beating
 murder
 Workers have been sacked, or banned from the workplaces
 Trade Union demonstrations have been broken up- often using violence
Reasons for Abuse
 Owners do not want their labour unionised as it would push up costs
e.g.
 demand for higher wages
 demand for better health and safety at work
Native Brazilians (Indians)
Human Rights Abuse
 Driven from traditional lands by settlers, landowners + miners
 Violence against, even killing, of resisters
 Way of life destroyed - by accident or design
Reasons for Abuse
 Access to land for mining, ranching or road building
 Greed of developers - no respect for rights of natives
Attempts to Reduce Abuse
 Government banned development in certain native areas
 FUNIA - Government agency to look after the interest of Natives
 International pressure from foreign governments and international
organisations (Amnesty, UN)
Landless Peasants
Human Rights Abuse
 Pushed off land by big landowners and ranchers
 Cheated by corrupt officials and courts
 Victims of violence and murder by police or landowners hired hands
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Trade Unionists
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Reasons for Abuse
 Access to land
Attempts to Reduce Abuse
 Popular March - to draw attention to the problem of landless
labourers
 Government made land available in the Amazon region
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Street Children
Human Rights Abuse





Victims of violence
Unable to get a job - forced
Insufficient opportunity for
Rounded up by police - often
Murdered by local vigilantes
into street crime + prostitution
education
imprisoned + beaten up
and police
Reasons for Abuse
 Create a bad image
 Nuisance - viewed as vermin
 Cause crime
Attempts to Reduce Abuse
 International pressure - Amnesty International
 Co-ordination of various groups (e.g. Cruzado do Menor, Pastoral do
Menor and Rodol Viva) to campaign for better rights for street
children
Prisoners
Human Rights Abuse
 Abuse and torture of prisoners is routine.
 In-humane conditions in prisons – e.g. rotting food, poor
sanitation.
 Overcrowding – prisoners forced to sleep in shifts as there are not
enough beds. Urso Banco prison holds 1000 inmates – only room for 350.
 Many prisoners are kept in prison longer than their sentence.
Reasons for Abuse
 Culture of violence in prisons - used as matter of routine.
 Organised crime gangs enjoy huge power and status.
 Lack of funding for prisons - low priority in the funding crisis.
 Not enough prisons.
 Many prisoners are not given proper legal advice.
Attempts to Reduce Abuse
 Frequent protests and riots by prisoners.
 International pressure from human rights groups.
 UN called for reform of penal system.
SECTION 3
Human Rights Issues
 Revision Activity Zone
a
true or false?
TRUE?
1
2
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3
4
5
6
7
FALSE
?
Street children are often murdered by police.
Trade Union meetings have been broken up with violence.
The landless have done nothing to try and reduce their human rights
abuse.
Prisoners are often kept in prison long after their sentence ends.
Native Brazilians have had their human rights abused by developers in
an attempt to gain access to land for mining + ranching.
Amnesty International has not tried to reduce human rights abuses in
Brazil.
There have been no riots in Brazilian prisons.
b
fill in the blanks
Brazil has a relatively ________________ human rights record. Various groups have had their
human rights abused. Trade unionists have been ___________ ___, intimidated and even
__________ because bosses do not want their workers ___________. Native Brazilians have
been ____________ from their traditional lands by greedy settlers who want to develop the land
for mining, _______________ or road building. The government has tried to stop this by
banning development and setting up ______________ to look after Native interests.
_______________ peasants have also been pushed off their land and cheated by corrupt
officials. They fought back with the ________________ March to gain publicity. The
government has subsequently made land available for the landless peasants in the Amazon
area. The abuse of street children is perhaps the most shocking. Many have been
___________________ by their parents forcing them into _____________________ and
___________ __________. They are often _______________ by police and vigilantes, who
view them as vermin.
heads and tails
d
(a)
kept in prison long after the end of their sentence.
protests by prisoners.
under-funded and overcrowded.
murdered by the police and vigilantes.
campaigned to reduce human rights abuses in Brazil.
LO1 Questions
The Human Rights of several groups in Brazil have been abused in the 1990’s.
Explain, in detail, the ways in which the human rights of at least two groups have
been abused.
(8 marks)
(b)
The Human Rights issues continue to be a problem in Brazil.
Explain, in detail, why human rights issues continue to be a problem in Brazil.
(6 marks)
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
Many street children are
Amnesty International has
Many prisoners are routinely
Prisons in Brazil are
There are frequent violent
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c
SECTIONS 1-3
 Revision Activity Zone
Answers
Section 1
a true or false
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










true
false
true
false
true
true
false
false
true
true
false
b fill in the
blanks
1. South America
2. 169 799 170
3. 5
4. North East
5. South East
6. North
7. 72.4
8. industrialised
9. distributed
10.coast
11.Sao Paulo
12.Rio de Janeiro
13.services
14.federal
15.President
16.executive
17.judiciary
18.4
19.8
20.compulsory
21.young
22.loyal support
23.unaccountable
Section 2
10.amenities
11.funding
12.20%
13.foreign debt
14.IMF
15.education
Section 3
a true or false
a true or false










true
false
true
false
true
false
true
false
true
true
b fill in the
blanks
1. half
2. widening
3. poverty
4. richer
5. less
6. politics
7. 25%
8. favelas
9. disease







true
true
false
true
true
false
false
b fill in the
blanks
1. poor
2. beaten up
3. murdered
4. unionised
5. driven
6. ranching
7. FUNIA
8. Landless
9. Popular
10.abandoned
11.prostitution
12.street crime
13.murdered