NGO Rio de Paz Pays Tribute to 57 Children Killed by Stray Bullets in Two Years

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Rio de Paz, an NGO, paid homage to the children by placing 57 white crosses, each with a flower and the name of the child, on the Aterro do Flamengo roadway connecting downtown Rio with the South Zone.

The initiative was taken after the death of 8-year-old Ágatha Félix, who was shot in the back by a stray bullet on Friday, September 21st, in the Fazendinha favela, in Complexo do Alemão.

“No single action addresses the problems Rio de Janeiro faces in terms of public safety. The state lacks a package of measures to fight the most diverse causes that historically lie behind the deaths of favela residents and police officers.”

“Starting with the implementation of public policies in poor communities, police reform and an end to the war on drugs is part of this debate,” said Antônio Carlos Costa, president of Rio de Paz.

The crosses are located along the roadside heading towards downtown. Aterro do Flamengo is one of the main links between Rio’s affluent southern neighborhoods and the city center. The crosses are expected to remain in place for 15 days.

Schools with no lessons

City mayor Marcelo Crivella spoke on Monday about the policy of confronting the state government.

The mayor said that the city has 436 schools located in communities. “Since the beginning of the year schools have gone without lessons for over 700 days, due to police activity in the communities,” said Crivella.

The mayor also said it is difficult to educate new citizens, to have good scores in the Basic
Education Development Index (IDEB) “with so many stray bullets”. “But if these measures are inevitable, let them occur before the start of the school year,” Crivella said.

Mônica cartoon character

Journalist and author Maurício de Sousa, the creator of ‘Turma da Mônica’, yesterday commented on Ágatha’s death on Instagram. The child’s mother, Vanessa Francisco Sales, was at the funeral carrying a Mônica doll, of whom her daughter was a fan.

“My feelings and my tears for little Ágatha!”, wrote Maurício, who posted a picture of the child’s mother, Vanessa Francisco Sales, carrying the doll while she was being supported by family members during her daughter’s funeral at the Inhaúma cemetery in the northern part of Rio.

Source: Agência Brasil

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